Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-02-14
REPORTS ON TEXTBOOKS
AROUSE KEEN INTEREST
Answer of Majority OF State Board
of Education Causes Much
Speculation.
SAY COST is NOT INCREASED
Reply Is Expected to Show That New
Adoption Will Not Add To Price,
and IL 1t Does, That Ii Is Worth
the Difference.

Just what answer the majority mem
hers of III" state Board OF Education
. Will make to the minority report.
! which goes before the Senate either to-
day or Tomorrow, has aroused CON
. siderable speculation among varicu,
| Senators. 1t is now Il pretty we'll
| 'tablishcd fact that many Of the Scna-
| tors cam. to Richmond in Il measure
F. INSTRUCTOR on the textbook PROPOSE
! ton. ana such Representatives have
been watching with considerable in
| tcrcSt the proceedings OF the state
. Board OF Education during the past
week. when that body was attempting
! to answer the resolution Of the Sen
ate AS offered by Senator Jcffreys.
AS stated ON yesterday morning. the
! ma jOrity viii attempt to show that il
was guided IN It's adoption of textbooks
! for the new ldopiion after Il careful in
. vcstiga,ion. ana through experience. as
| to both merit of tcachablcncSS. worth of
content and cost 'rh" INA jority mem
bcrS Will show, according to their fig
urcs, that the new adoption will not
I've very much more expensive ,han the
I old list. il any.
WILL. COST MORE.
ASSERT MINORITY MEMBERS
I The charge WAS made in the minor
| ity report, brought in by Governor
| Stuart Attorney General Pollard and
, State Superintendent Stearncs that in
| the new adoption. especially in the So
called "JohnSon proposition. the tax
payers were being called upom TO pay
| from $4,000 10 100000 in purchasing
these books moro than they would
have paid had the Johnson books been
adopted.
In the report 10 the Senate the ma
iority reserved tho right TO answer .tf,e
| minority report, and also offered to
| give additional informal ion were this
| deemed necessary by tina Senate. II is
generally believed that in the final
! analysis each member will have to fol-
low the lead sJ7 hy Or. Southal Will
son. Of William ami Mary College. who.
! while voting for the majority report,
also sent in his own private report.
lie Stated therein why he had sub
Scribed to the report OF the majority
and why he arrived at his conclusion
regarding tho various textbooks.
This is the only private report from
any board member as yet. though it is
believed that each will do likewise
nnalv.
EXPECTED r0 CALL
ron FULL. EXPLANATION
At u meeting OF til" board last week
Governor stuart told tia" members that
in his opinion the Scuatc would not bc
satisfied with anything bnt Il COM
plctc report. There was general feel
ing on Yesterday that no "fuil and com
plctc" report had been sent 10 the SEN
ATE. and IL is this reason which has
been interpreted by many 20 believe
that there will hc further resolution
from the Scnat" asking for full and
complete explanation.
There is no way Of telling just what
tho majority will say 10 the report as
offered by III" minority. 1t is gem
orally agreed that If the report of the
minority is true. namely. thar Il say
ing of some 5000 could nave been
affected. that It is incumbent upon the
ajority TO explain the reason for the
heavy tax.
II was understood. from hearing: Il
member Of the majority speak III the
meetings Of last week. that this state
nicnt of the minority will be denied
While they do not claim that the new
list is cheaper than the old. il was
plainly evident that the majority Will
be unwilling /" have the entire load
saldled upon them.
THINK LIST WORTH
PRICE or CHANGE
II is believed that in the answer to
the minority the majority will seek TO
show that by the elimination of a
number OF books that were ont Of date,
that the revised list, or rather the new
adoptus, which makes single list
for both city and country schools. is
not 80 much more expensive than the
old list
Even If it should be ii is under
stood the majority will be unwilling
to admit that ii is responsible for the
entire change hut viii seek TO show
that the minority voted also for Il
number Of changes in the list.