The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-05-16
BOOK ADOPTION
AGAIN DEFERRED
BOARD MAY ADOPT CALIFORNIA
PLAN or RENTING PLATES
FROM PUBLISHERS.
MEAN LOW Err PRICES
BIDS ON PLATES TO BE SUBMITTED
AT ADJOURNED MEETING,a
MAY 2sTH-Pt BLIsH-
Frs SIDE.
MEAN LOW Err PRICES

Acting on information from the
perintendent of public instruction of
California. that the same publishers
who are now offering school books for
adoption in Virginia had rented 10 the
State OF California the plates from
which such books were made at a
price which, were the same plan
adopted in Virginia, would enable the
patrons of the public schools of Fir-
ginia to obtain the books at much
lower price than those at which the
books are now offered. the State board
of education yesterday again deferred
the matter of final adoption of text
books for the elementary and high
schools of the State
The special committee which has
been investigating the prices of the
books offered for adoption was ap-
pointed to ask for bids on the use of
plates. these bids to he submitted to
an adjourned meeting of the board. to
be held Thursday night, May 2Sth.
The following statement was given
out by the board last night
The special committee. consisting
of perintendent Stearnes Governor
Stuart and Attorney General Pollard,
appointed at a recent meeting of the
State board of education to investigate
the prices of text books. reported hat
they had communicated with the Sup
erintendent OF Public Instruction of
the State of California, with the re-
suit that they obtained information
that the same publishers who are now
offering books for adoption in Viz
gina had rented 10 the State of Cali
fornia the plates from which such
books were made. at very nominal
figure. The committee also ascertain
ed and reported that Virginia manu-
facturers of books were willing to
print and bind the books in mum bers
sufficient for use in Virginia at prices
which would enable patrons of the
public schools TO obtain the books at
an average price of approximately
at which the books are now offered
california owns her own printing
plant, bur a responsible book manu-
tactureT addressed a communication to
the board, agreeing to manufacture
the necessary books at price approx
imateiy the same as the cost OF pro-
duction at the State printing plant Of
California.
The superintendent of public in
struction of California states that all
the leading publishers compete keen
~ in the renting of the plates for all
Of the irst-rlass, popular textbooks.
IT the publishers are willing to rent
their plates 10 the State Of California,
there seems no good reason why they
should not he willing to rent plates
Ito n Virginia manufacturer and pub
fisher, who. in turn, may furnish the
books to the children of Virginia at
greatly reduced prices.
The board was unanimously of the
opinion that The facts obtained from
California justified the most careful
Investigation N order that every effort
might be made to obtain books for
the children of Virginia at the lowest
possible prices
The same special committee was,
therefore, appointed TO ask for bids on
the use Of plates. and to submit the
same to an adjourned meeting of the
board to be held on Thursday night,
May 2Sth
The board unanimously adopted
resolution that between now and the
next meeting no member of the
board eXeep. the superintendent of
public instruction. will receive or con-
fer with any representative OF any