The gazette-times. [volume] (Heppner, Or.) 1912-1925, 1916-03-30
MADE-IN-OREGON TENT BOOKS

The Heppner Commercial Club has
gone on record as being opposed to
the plan of printing school text books
in Oregon. The Club is not so much
opposed 40 the printing of text books
in this state, for that organization
is naturally behind every movement
which has for it's object the improve
ment and growth of home industries.
But the Club is skeptical over the
feasibility of printing text books at
home
The agitation to have the text
books printed in the state printing Of
flee was started by our state printer,
who maintains that at least SO per
cent can be saved. He and other adj
vocates for state printing point to
California as state, which they al
lege, has had success with state print
ing of text books after several years
pf experimenting.
In writing on this subject, Ebert
DCuc, cullOl VI IAC SOltdSC NloNC
Bentinel, says:
'This proposition sounds nice
enough at first reading, and, without
investigation, almost any citizen, es-
pecially if he had children for whom
he was buying books, would become
enthusiastic about it. But upon a
problem as large and important as
this it is well to ponder a little.
''It is to be observed that Califor-
mia experimental several years before
it attained anything like success.
1--WE too, might be willing to ex-
pertinent few years in order to re-
duce the cost of school books so per
cent. Oregon likes to experiment.
Experimentation creates no fear for
us, that is one of our long suits; in
fact, it is about our only long suit
and while it seems to stand the wear
pretty we'll, we should not forget that
tailor bills may have to be met some
day.
while we are experimenting with
the publication of school books, we
might find few worthy and patriotic
citizens who could be induced to give
of their time for service upon a com
mission for the preparation OF text
matter for the books, upon commits
sion for selecting the type in which
the books should be printed, upon q
commission to select the paper OF
which the books should be made, up
on a commission to decide whether
the books should be folioed at the
top or the bottom, upon a commission
to decide whether the books should
be side-stiched or saddle-stiched, ant
upon a commission to see that othei
commissions performed their duties
Still other patriotic citizens might be
willing to act as secretaries and
clerks for the numerous commissions
"The money to pay the numerous
commissions and their clerks and sec
retaries might be advanced by the
State out of the moneys to be saved
later by printing the books at home
"After the commissions had per
formed their duties faithfully up tC
the time the books were needed, and
drawn their salaries equally as faith
fully, it might be discovered that the
private publishing houses had copy.
rights upon all the standing works
that satisfactory substitutes could
not be secured, and that the plan
could not be success.
Investigation might prove that
California had these and other trou
bles."
However, most of us agree upon
the fact that the present cost is in
deed high. We are also agreed thai
the present law which gives us 9
change OF text books only once ir
every six years does not permit Of
the flexibility of text matter in oul
schools that there should be. Yet