Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-17
BOOK BILL CHANGES
!. BY SENATE FOUGHT
6iIIigan Says Amendments to
House Measure Should
Be withdrawn.

Directing strenuously to the Senate's
amendments to its own free textbook
bill on the ground that they would
oblige every public school pupil from
the kindergarten through junior high
school to furnish his own paper, pencil
and other sundry school supplies which
now are provided ct public expense and
because they would give free books to
the pupils of only one grade beyond
those already supplied books without
cost, Henry L. Gilligan, chairman Of
of the Board of Education'S legislative
committee, has appealed by letter to
every member Of the Senate for sup
port Of the House textbook bill which
was passed last Monday without amend
ments.
The House bill provides free text
books to public school children through
the high schools, and has had the sup
port of the Board Of Education. the
District Commissioners, Bureau of the
Budget, the Congress of Parent Teacher
Associations, citizens associations, the
Federation of Citizens Associations and
other groups and individuals.
In his letter to the Senators, Mr..
C3illigan cited the support which the
House bill has throughout the District
and he expressed the hope that this Is
the legislation that will be finally en-
acted. The only objection to the House
bill which he said he has heard has
come from one book seller, who now
profits by the sale of school books"
Commenting upon the amendments
which Senator Phipps attached to the
Senate free textbook bill, Mr.. Gilligan
declared In his letter that he is conf
dent 1.-THE purport of these amendments
was not understood"
The Senate bill, as amended he
wrote, would extend free textbooks
through the junior high schools Zone
grade more than now receiving them) !,
but at the same time 1t would require
every child from the kindergarten on to
furnish his own paper, pencils, compost
ton books, etc. am sure the Senate
would not have accepted these amend
ments knowingly. and trust you viii
object to It's further consideration"
When the Senate took up the con-
alteration of the textbook bill last Mon
J day, Senator Phipps had it amended so
that senior high schools were elimi-
mated from the institutions covered in
its provisions He succeeded also In
having stricken out the language sup
Elemental books and other necessary
educational books and supplies"
Senator Phipps declared, then, that
the language in the bill was broad
enough to include reference books.
1T have no objection whatever to the
nresent plan Of supplying textbooks to the
pupils in the elementary schools. l
should not object to its extension so
as to include junior high schools; but
when It comes to furnishing books OF
reference, those are in the libraries" "
he said
Explaining his stand on school sup
plies, Senator Phipps said in the Sen
ate.
"Other supplies, such as writing
paper, pads and pencils and all that,
believe, should be supplied by the stu
dents themselves because otherwise
they are too careless Of them.
Speaking about the Textbook pro-
nosals last night, Mr.. Gilligan declared
h was 1.-THE earnest hope of the Board
Of Education, speaking for the people
Of the District of Columbia, that the
tenate viii pass the House bill without
amendment, and thus enable our boys
and girls to receive q high school edu-
cation without cost"