Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1914-05-16
Board of Education Shows
Discrimination in Price
of Books.
COST ONE THIRD MORE.
Reader Sold in California al Fifteen
Cents Quoted to State of Virginia
.At Thirty-Two Cents.

! Richmond, Va, May 16-As result
Of proof of eXorbitant prices quote"
in Virginia fol. textbooks, co!iecte:: b!
the committee which has been nego''
) iatinc with the publishers, the state
BOARD of Education Secided yesterda!
- inGuirc into the cost CT renting,
book plates from the publishers am
itself printing all books destined 10
usa in +he public schools in Virginia.
! The committee, since the April meet
;nr Of the board. when it was decided
not to adopt list pending an investI-
cation of prices, has secured proof OF
astonishing discrimination in prices by
publishers against Virginia schoo-
children.
| Rcports of schoolbook prices IN CALI
fornia. furnishet the committee Dl
State School Superintendent Edward
/ HYATT, show that books offered to th;
Virginia Board of Education for adop-'
; tion are on sale in California ii E
price averaging one-third less. foi
! instance. the Progressive First Reader
ouoied TO the Virginia Board Of ECU
! cation at 80 cents is sold to retail dea!
ers in California at 10 cents; nit
irea :er quoted in Virginia at 40 cents
is sold in California at "a cents; Z
advanced geography quoted iler= at
ce,,ss hr:ags only 81 cepts or the pa
! cifc coast.
Agents of several publishing house
! last night. while not questioning til
accuracy Of the figures given out b!
! Superintendent Stearnes. claimed tn
il was not altogether fair to compare
Tie wholesale prices at which hoe
are sold in quantity in one state with
the retail! price at which it is propose
the dealers shall sell them to m-i
viduai school patrons in another.
In view of the proof of price DIS
elimination submitted by TIE commit
tee. the board voted unanimously tf
postpone an adoption Of text BOOKS
until further investigation has beer
made Of the situation in order to OBJ
tain the books for Virginia school
children at the lowest possible prices
The board commissioned the same
special committee. consisting of Su-
perntcndert. Stearnes. Governor
Stuart. and !Attorney-General Pollard
to negotiate with the publishers Io'
the rental of book plates and to re
port the result of their enleavorS t.
neeting Of the board TO be held or
!. Thursday, May 2S.
In the meanwhile. no member of tho
board except Superintendent Stearne;
will receive or confer with any repre-
sentative of any publishing house.
n neither will the adoption Of textbook:
be discussed
The decision reached by the boar,
= Yesterday is taken to mean that FIr
rinia will duplicate, as nearly as cir
. :cumstances permit. the CaIifornl;
system. In California the textbook!
ere furnished to the school children
free of cost by the state. The books
which are standard textbooks, used al
. over the country. are printed by th'
). state printer from bookplates rented
4 from the publishers.
Q The Virginia State Board Of Educa
t ton cannot furnish free textbooks. 0
f course. neither has the state a publ
/ printing plant. but the special com
It mittee reported that it had receivet
= bis from a private Virginia printe
o who agreed to print the books at ap
e proXia ateiy the cost of printing il
e the California state plant. 10.
If the publishers rent plates on tn
" royalty basis to California there is n
e reason why they should not be Willing
e TO do the same for Virginia, says til
u board, and the special committee vii
l. at once begin negotiations to tha
y end