Arizona republican., 1915-07-19
Free Text Books

The Republican receipt a letter a subscriber enclosing copy of a dispatch Washington relative to the school Looks for the whole country which IS 7S5 cents per capita the school population. This Der capita is the amount of sales in this country for private public schools The per capita for books only for in the public schools is 5e.6
 The writer, like many of the of us, has been misIed by the careless designation of sc- called state school fund O the last two Aears-it has been loosely the free text book fund, when. as a matter of fact little than $lO0000 used last for that purpose it being apportoneI among the counties supple ment their school funds. The writer estmatin., that there not mC:e than 5O,0o0 children in the state naturally suspects there ha been waste of the free text book fund. But ma:ins allowance for tho writers misapprehension of the amount Arizona spends text books we think that too much is still being spent this state. The dispatch from Washington follows:
 Confidential data obtained from forty-throe textbook publishers in the United States that public and private schools in 1912 amounted $1',2H.O@0' says statement hy the Bureau of Education The aggregate public schools elementary and high amounted 70 Si4.26L7CS.
 The total enrolment in public elementary and high schools for the year approximately I8.- 6o9,o4o. Excluding the elementary school enrolment California. since California prints nicntarr books the number becomes 1s2137S6. For enrolled in the public schools therefore the total annual sale of textbooks 7S3 total expenditure per child for al school purposes is approximately s9S.51. The of textbooks thus approximately 2 per of the total maintenance. support equipment. The Der child the school population basis Oive eight years of ageJ is 556 cents the annual capita cost of textbooks the total population is less cents.
 These figures indicate that is ground for the fear sometimes expressed that the introduction free textbooks will add greatly 0 the cost of the public school system. great y increase the rate of taxation for school purposes NG aff.rp rapf tGa ifnLrgi latively small item in the total expenditure for school purposes.
 The forty-three firms from which data were 'cbtained handle probably 9a cent of the total textbook sales in this country"
 As have stated the initial expenditure fo?~ text books last than s1oO,oOO. g. per capita This is extraordinary when it wi:h country wide capita expenditure of 5G.6 per cent and much that the greater part of it, was initial eXpenditure-that is, it was for the purchase for time, and not merely to replace fill in books.
 It estimated that than S3OO9O would De required for books in Arizona the coming year but understand that account of certain changes which have ordered the will exceed $50 900. considerably more than s1 capita. It has been stated but whether thoritati' ely not do not know-that tie state of Ohio found it necessary year spend only 300oO for free books.
 The text book system is a in and perhaps ought expect much of it at the outset Arizona has been the happy hunting grounds of the school book pub lishers for many It will take time for to break them of the habit of preying upon eventually will be able to use the system for the benefit of the schools and the taxpayers benefit the publishers.
 already progress n county of the others, in combining for protection against the rapacous school supply houses.
 
 IT COSTS S5 TO ISLANDER HIS HASH