The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-01-16
FOR FREE BOOKS
Senator MOntee Has Plan for
Providing School Supplies.
Price Seeks to Have the State
Do All the County Printing.


text books but Senator Montee of
Crawford would go farther He would
have the school books furnished to pu-
pills free of 4charge-have the books
paid for out of a fund created by the
assessment of tax against the prop
erty owners of the district.
The tax for school books would be
levied as a part of the general school
tax for the districts, but in the case
of high schools in cities of the first or
second class or any rural high school,
| a special tax not exceeding one-tenth
| of a mill may be levied for school pur-
poses.
| The bill provides that such books
! shall be furnished to the pupils free
of charge, that the pupils shall be re-
sponsible for any damage, loss or fail
ure to return them. 1t also provides
that any pupil who requires the is
| suance of second hook shall pay for
| it at cost price.
| If the bill should become a law the
fumigaticn of school books by district
! officers would be a regular procedure.
They would also be authorized to make
a wholesale destruction of books with
| in their discretion.
Even if the bill should become a law
there is nothing in it to prevent a pa
rent from purchasing books for his
child or children if it is desired to do
so. And its terms provide for such a
contingency by requiring the school
authorities to sell him school books
at cost.
IF there were anything needed to in
sure a big crowd of Kansas newspaper
publishers at the Editorial association
| meeting it is furnished in Il resolution
| offered in the senate by Price of Clark.
The resolution leads to the printing
of all county printed supplies, includ-
ing blank books and records, at the
state printing plant at cost. -
The county printing is the bread
and butter for more than one printing
plant in Kansas. More than one edi-
tor is enabled to keep up good news
paper thru the earnings in the job de-
partment, made possible by county
printing. The Price resolution, if fol-
lowed out, would concentrate all this
printing in Topeka, at the big state
printing plant and would leave the
small printing house and the county
newspapers out in the cold.
All Senator Price asks in his resolu-
ton, which by the way, was adopted,
is that W. R. Smith, state printer, re-
port to the senate upon the prac-
tica bility of printing county supplies
at the state plant and furnishing them
to the counties at COST
One bill was passed by the senate
at the late Monday afternoon session
a measure providing an appropriation
of $4,000 to be applied upon the con-
struction of hard surface public
road The purpose of the measure
was understood by every senator ano
there was no argument. There is q
division of opinion as to whether the
state can appropriate money for road
work under the constitution. A tes
case. will be made as soon as the issues
. can be Joined and the legislature viii
| er11id in
future good roads legislation during
, the session.
In a bill introduced by Senator
Montee of Crawford, the whole Mas
sachusetts ballot law or such portion.
of it as Kansas now has, are repealed
and the old Australian ballot Law
: formerly on Kansas statute books, i.
, re-ena cted.
A bill introduced by Senator School
: of Shawnee, provides that any cor
poration doing business in Kansa
may be sued and brought into cour
in the county in which the cause fol
action arises.
t The hedge and weed bill has beer
: introduced IN the senate by School
of Shawnee. There is a hedge ant
weed law on the statute books nov
but the enforcement is up to township
OFFICIALS ana apparently local 1n1lu
ence has usually been SO strong thu
> township officials have not enforced
it. Weeds and hedge fences hav'
grown at will. The Schoch measure
places the enforcement of the law il
the hands of the county attorney ant
= other county officers.
The senate committee on employee
: has announced an additional list o
, employees. bringing the total to date
to seventy-eight. Eighty was tn
stake set originally by the senate. TIL
! new appointees ares
Committee clerks: Mrs. Margare
Stein, Thyra Leedom, Orwell Veatch
, Nellie Afford, w. H Rickel, H. L
: Humphrey, Miss Edna Heskett, Mrs
Belle Fosgren, Mildred Peck, Mrs
. Salome Randolph, j. E. Henderson
. Joe r. Hedrick, Samuel E. Parisa