The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1920-12-17
State Supt. Bond
On Book Adoption
Thinks Commission Did Best 1t Could
Under All Conditions. Suggests
Some "Sore Toes" And Dis
appointed Educators.

CdShSou, 0pCCIdl lUleS-
Observation-Disclosures circles are
no little exercised over suggestions
of wrOng-doing published during the
! past week in connection with the let
! ting of five-year contracts for school
books by the State Board, and ac-
cording to a member of that board
there will be an answer to these
/ charges in due course of time, and
that the legislative investigation
limited at will be welcomed.
| 1t is charged that the prices the
children of Mississippi now have to
pay under the new contract show
an enormous increase in the price
paid in Mississippi under a state con-
tract made ten months later than
the Tenn essee contract was made"
The question is then asked: "Why
should the children of Mississippi
nave to pay more than double what
the Tennessee children pay?"
Mississippi does pay double, or
more than double for readers, and
for spoilers. 1t pays more for geo.
graphles than does Tennessee. and
more for arithmetics than was paid
under the old contract, as is natural
in view of the 800 or 400 per cent
increase In the lost of the paper On
which the books are printed, labor
and other material.
Speaking of this matter, w. F.
Bond, state superintendent of edu-
cauon, who is Q member of the
School Board Commission, said, in
substance, that all these facts were
taken into consideration, and that
The increase in the price of the books
now used In Mississippi was 1O6 per
cent in spite Of the much greater
increase IN the price of paper and
LABOR
Professor Bond states that he did
rot get ali he wanted as a member
OF the board, voting for some books
that were not adopted, but is conf
dent the children of the state have
got the best that was to be had un-
DER the circumstances. 'It should
be remembered" he says, "That the
contracts were bound to be made at
time when prices were at their
zenith, whereas the Tennessee pric-
IS were made nearly one year be-
lore. He also states that in the
event. any other state makes q con-
tract at lower price, Mississippi is
10 get the benefit of that lower
price.
Il know that our prices aro biob
'ays Professor Bond, "but thew woro
,he best to be had. We did net in
every instance, select the cbeanest
book, but took the book we believed
ne best for the children of the
'tate. am satisfied with the book
selections, but l am not satisfied
Vitn the system and the laws under
'hlch they are selected. The board
vas' compelled to make these selec-
ions IN three weeks time, when it
mould have had at least three
months. There were 700 books TO
'e examined and the subject could
lot the done justice in three weeks
but there are wheels within
'neels, suggested the state superin-
ehdent There are perhaps some
EDUCATORS who wanted to be mem
'ers OF this board but who belong
"a to that political faction who ae
ersona non grata to the governor
the state and were not appointed:
is Ilkely there are ether "edu uators
mo failed to get recognition at the
ands OF the board; it may be that
hese are school book publishing
oncerns who have been selling books
mississippi for years and the re-
resentatives of which are even vet
lurSlng a sore toe
SO far as legislative or any 9TH
{ KIND OF an investigation into \the
fairs of the school book commission
concerned, / am not losing any
eep, and do not suppose any other
ember is at all uneasy. Professor
utherland, secretary of the commits
on, will perhaps have something to
~ in few days in answer to the
larges made by certain newspapers.
S an educator he stands high. be-
g now at the head of the Kinds
ounty Agricultural High School, at
aymond, and any statement he NAV
axe Will be accepted as the truth"
The above appeared in New Or
ans Times-Picayune of Nov. "a.