Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1922-10-20
TRUTH ABOUT
SCHOOL BOOKS
Ridiculous Statements by Cam
paign Liars Properly Labeled
by County Superintendent
Greever.

l am informed that certain unr
tisan campaign barkers are atte,npt
ing to prejudice the patrons of tn
public school system against the pres
ent administration of the system b,
trying to mako tho impression OF
tho uninformcd that the increase Il
the price of school books is directl,
chareeablc to the Democratic Party
one star bnrker even going so far NJ
to charge that the School Board i
selling school books at II profit ant
are using the money to finance tn,
Pecry campaign. Permit mo to us,
space enough to rcpublish n part O,
letter recently published i'm tn,
Lynchburg News over tho signntur,
OF the State Superintendent, Hon
Harris Hart:
The State Board Of Education ir
1915 adopted tho present list of text
books under four (4) year contract
with three (3) year extension priv.
ilego When the contracts expired in
1919, exercised tho option to sc.
cure three year extension Mt the
original contract prices. This meant
that school books would be purchased
by patrons in Virginia in 1919, 1920
1921 at pre-war prices. In certain
instances an undoubted hardship was
worked upon the publishers, but ]
ielt that, on the whole. it was better
to give the people OF Virginia tho
advantage of thrco yoars at former
low prices in anticipation of decid
cd increase in prices when tho old
contracts expired. know Il to bo n
fact that certain books In the lower
grades selling from II to 20 cents
cost from % to 32 cents to mnnufac-
ture. Tho public school book IL the
only thing that know of which dur
ing the war, and for two Or three
years after the war, sold at identic-
ally the same price ns before the war
with the possible exception of the
postage stamp, aud this during part
of one year hnd increased from 2
cents to 3 cents. The three-year ex-
tension period on these book con-
tracts expired Inst June 3Oth. From
information that I gathered con-
cludcd that book prices wcre then
about at their peak, or very slowly
declining from the peak of prices. I
therefore asked the State Board to
extend tho old list of books ONE
YEAR OF course Mt new prices rath-
er than tic up the state with n four
year contract Mt prices which hopo
will show reduction. *++
Now, rs to change of books, let
mo say that so far M the textbook
list is concerned, we have not chang
cd the list since 1916. **++ have
taken some pride in tho fact that dur
ing my term Of Office, 80 far as tho
state list of books is concerned, not
Il solitary change hns been mado with
tho exception Of Virginia history In
the elementary grades and tho climi-
nation of certain books formerly
adopted in the high school list" This
is the truth about school book prices
1t is to be deplorcd that party zeal
should tempt any man to distort facts
to gain votes Mt any time but espec-
tally when such misstatements ms
those referred to nre calculated to
seriously handicap the work of those
entrusted with the education Of all
of the children Of all the people. If
democratic speakers wanted to drag
tho public schools into politics they
might counter charge that the prices
Of school books have advanced under
"a Republican administration, that
publishers are northern manufacture
ers, probably republicans, ns manu-
facturers, as n rule, arc. But no cf-
fort has been made to stir up class
prejudice by any such statement
true as it probably is.
The object of this communication
then, is, first, to make it clear to the
public just what has happened in the
making of new contracts by tho State
Board of Education with the some
twenty odd publishers of schoo
books, and, second, to protest agains,
political speakers hindcring the co
operation of the patrons of thu
schools by arousing in them prejudic,
just in order to gain votes. The Stat,
Board has made as good contract.
as could be made by any body undol
the same conditions, binding all pub
fishers to sell to the State of Vir
ginia books as chcnply as the sam,
books are sold to any other state il
the United States. The County Schoo
Board has adopted wise method o
distributing school books through
four distributing agencies withou
regard to political parties, thes
agents belonging to both politica
parties, as is also true Of the Count
Board itself. Nobody is making NOR
out Of the sale Of the books than
fixed by law and teachers and pat
rons have been outspoken in thei
praise of the service, which is tb
best ever gin in the county. The
why not cooperate in the building u
Of the schools instead Of trying t
scandaIjZe somebody lust to got vote