Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1914-04-28
GlvE|..|P j PUB[IsH5ER5 |
THEIR U[TIhATUn
s|a
Book Prices Must Be Reduc-
ed or, No List Will be
4 Adopted.
TAKES A FIRM STAND.
Committee Will Ask Board of Eduea-
lion of Virginia to Postpone Final
Action in Matter.


School Book Committee OF the State
RoaI of Education, after long con-
ference Yesterday afternoon in the OF
flee of Governor Stuart, announced
that it had agree.l unanimously to
ecommend to the board at the meet
ing of May Is, that the adoption OF
a list of text books fcr use in the
public schools of Virginia during the
next four years be postponed for one
year unless substantial reductions II
the prices Of books quoted are obtain
ed from the publishers without unEue
delay.
By this ultimatum the conlr'ttee
nuts it flatly up to the publishers Of
school books to allay the price scan
dial which was raised when the State
Board of Education refused at the
meeting last week to adopt t.
book list because of the high pri:.
quStei.
~ that meeting, after announcing
n "preference list which is by ne
means obligatory, the board appoint
ed a committee, consisting Of State
Superintendent Of Public instruction
sign that they are Willing even tc
enter into negotiations having for
their purpose the arrangement of
new scheG7le OF prices. The cufssnrit..
tee has not yet decided just what de
mands are to be made on the publish
ers anil how great reductions are tt
be requested These detailsc will o'
worked out after the colrmittee ma:
secured the agreement Of the publish
ers for negotiations.
The. passage of laws in the South
ern states regulating the purchase G
textbooks for public school use ha
worked to allow the publishers to es
tablish an arbitrary price, the sam
for all states in the South. The com
mittee is willing, to make concession
to the publishers, in return for reduc
tions in price, am Mr.. Stearnes i
quoted a,s saying that the committee
prepared to, extend the term OF us
of the preferred list" from the Gus
tomary four years to seven years.
the reductions are obtained.
r. C. Stearnes, chairman; Governo
Stuart and Acknowledgement Joh
Garland Pollard to confer with tn
publishers of the books named in tn
"preference list" to see if reduction
in the prices could not be obtalns'
The committee, without dissent
inc voice, agreed yesterday that re
ductions in the prices quoted al
necessary. 1t was reiterated tina
children in Cana;a and certain state
of the Union other than Virginia a1
buving the text books in the 'prefel
ence list at prices ransing from OF
quarter to two-thirds less than thoS
asked of Virginia pupils by the pu'
fishers. The committee found, sa
Mr., Stearnes. that the prices quote
Virginia are substantially the same
those furnished other Southern state
but the board thinks there are certa
circumstances and coniitionS pertain
ing in this state that justify lowe
prices than those quoted tarth'
South.
The comnittee will meet again
the next few days to draw up form
al communication to. the publlshe'
setting forth the position of the Sta
Board of Education and outlining Il
recommendations to, be male by tt
committe eunlesS the publishers me
the committee half way an its nog
tiationS for reductions. Up, to til
time the Publishers have given I