Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-03-10
MUCH INSTRUMENTATION PRE-.
sENrED ON SCHOOL BOOK
QUESTION.
CONFLICTING PROPOSALS.
AcoREsslvELY ADVOCATED
Efforts Being Made to Do Away With
Present County Uniformity Laws
Exaggerated Estimates Regarding
Saving Thru Statewide Free Text
Books.
Special to Times-Republican.

| Special to Times Republican.
| Des- Moines, March 10-Despite the
Importance Of proposed legislation at
! fecting the rural schools and esrae-
! tally providing for better support about
the only school matter that has thus
! far disturbed the legislators is in re-
gard to text books. That is a suboecT
/ that whenever touched always means
a fight Several school text book oilis
are before the legislators but none as
yet favorably recommended to either
house. Much Instrumentation has
gone out about these bills and the pub
| lie and the members have difficulty
getting at the facts. Some wonder
| fully exaggerated ideas prevail in con-
nection with this branch of the educa-
tional system.
| 1t is claimed on behalf of state
; wide free text book bill that it would
affect a saving of s1000.000 year to
| have compulsory free text books In
every district; yet it has been dis
closed before committees that the to-
tai public and parochial school book
business of Iowa amounts to little
of 81 to 50 for each child per year is
claimed. but it is pretty we'll estab-
lished that the average price Of school
books for children in the grade schools
of the state is about So cents per pupil
annually. There are $1,000 children
attending school in Iowa, the annual
cost of books 100000 so 1t is easy
to compute the cost. Many cities and
towns have taken advantage OF the
law and voted free text books. The
free test book bill would compel, all
districts to adopt free books.
An Adverse Movement.
There Is a measure, also, providing
for abandonment Of county uniform
ity in those counties now having II,
permitting each district to select It's
own books. Educators declare this
would be backward step, and would
work incaIculable harm to school SUI
pervision. adding to the already mixed
up condition in the text books which
now exists in many counties. There
are sixty-fiye counties on the county
uniform !ty basis, made so by majority
vote, but forty four counties have
never awaited themselves OF this law.
The Thomas-Anderson bill provides
for statewide county uniformity. re-
curing every county to select uni
form system of Books. This would be
done by county board including the
county superintendent. two school
board presidents. and two teachers
possessing certain educational qualih-
cations. This would take the place OF
the board consisting OF the AUDITOR.
superintendent and board OF super
visors which now makes the selection
where uniformity is voted. This Is the
bill around which the big fight in CEN
tered just now and columns OF colored.
informat ton have been scattered over
the state regarding the same.
If the bill becomes a law the forty
four counties not now having uniform
ity would be required to adopt uni
form system of books. This would not
mean necessarily that they would have
to change all Of the books in these
counties. but that they would have to
take one set and make 1t uniform over
the entire county. Generally speaking
the books in these forty-four counties
are old and out Of date 80 1t Is assert
ed, and in a badly mixed up condition.
There Is little chance for supervision
by the county superintendent. For
these counties no greater step for
ward could be taken than the inaug-
uration and establishment of a uni
form system OF modern text books. 1t
is declared that for the reason one big
text book concern sells s. per cent OF
the books in these n-uniform coun-
ties there is tremendous opposition to
| the Anderson Thomas bill.
Would Create Saving.
There is no question but by the
lIegalizing of county uniformity in
these on-uniform counties there
would be a saving Of at least 20 per
cent to the pupils" said an educator
before committee the other day.
Legislators are apt to place particu-
| lar emphasis on the financial side OF
| all questions, but the educators OF the
state are behind this bill. as a general
| thing, for the reason that 1t means
better textbooks and possibility OF
better supervision by the county
superintendent Of tho rural schools.
+! The Anderson Thomas bill anects
every county in Iowa, whether 1t mas
county uniformity or not, In that II
| provides a more competent board OF
education for the selection OF these
books. The state teachers association,
at its last meeting adopted resoiu
| ton indorsing county uniformity, and
lit is a fact that the great body OF
teachers Of Iowa favor county uni
formity and are opposed to state uni
formity, which they say would dras
1 the schools Of the state into politics
and subvert the whole textbook ques-
ton to a matter of cheap books
County uniformity will secure books
for the patrons Just as cheap. and they
will have a far higher quality. 1t Is
claimed the cost Of textbooks is only
liz per cent OF the total % sa2c:
tional system and that the saving II
1.-THE state would be 80 small ANNUALLY