Evening star., 1930-06-28
Scarcity of Some School VOL
umeS Is Foreseen by
Local Dealers.
EXPENSE TO PARENTS
MAY EXCEED $500, 900
Condition of Used Books Available
Might Be Bad-Stocks
Have Declined.
When washington high school pupils

When washington high school pupils
attempt to buy their text books next
Fall, in event the 1881 appropriation
bill is lost and the funds with which to
carry out the provisions of the free
text book law are not otherwise pro-
vided for, they will be confronted with
the necessity of purchasing used books
of questionable condition by virtue of
limited new book stocks in the city. q
This is indicated at the various book
dealers of the Capital, who are laying
plans for the anticipated failure of the
pending bill
The free text book measure was en-
acted January 81 of this year, and by
the language of its section was to
become effective on the date of the
bills passage. The estimated first cost
of providing free text books to senior
high school pupils and to pupils of the
third year of the junior high schools
was $240,000, and this amount is in
cluded in the 1881 appropriation bill,
which now is caught in the Senate
House deadlock.
Parents May Take Burden.
Hence, unless funds for this purpose
are Forthcoming, parents of high school
pupils will be obliged to invest between
plies next year. The exact amount
which they will spend-after being as
sured of relief from this cost with the
passage of the free text book measure
hve months ago-wil depend upon the
kind of books they may be offered by
the book dealers in the Fall.
One of the largest booksellers in the
District, who has sold text books to
washington pupils since the public
school system has been organized is
putting in limited stock of standard
text books, but he is unable to stock
the preferred literature volumes, which
the teachers may instruct their pupils
TO purchase. Another large dealer,
whose chief trade is in secondhand
books, is doing nothing at present in the
convection that once assured the ap-
preparation will not become available. he
can order stocks of discarded books from
out-of-town jobbers who, it so happens,
nave bought most of the books sold by
washington pupils following the pas
sage OF the free text book bill.
The condition of the used books which
may be offered to Washington chill
dren in September is regarded with ap-
prehension by school officials here. These
STOCKS come from cities all over the
Umted states and, due to handling
Shlpplng and initial wear, NAV be in
very bad repair when finally sold to
washington children It is likely that
there Will be no shortage of these VOL
umes because local dealers have an
nounced their ability to stock these
DOCKS following adjournment of Con-
greSS.
New Book Market.
The new book market, however. will
De crippled. Since the passage of the
free textbook bill, the new book dealers
nave besn depicting their stocks as
nlucn as tney dared, maintaining only
Sumcient works to satisfy the demands
OF chlloren who prefer to own their own
DOCKS regardless ofsfree provision. Since
the current deadlock, however the deal
ers have been reinforcing their stocks
gradually on the chance the appropria-
tlon Will fail. On textbooks, there can
pe no question as to edition, for the
published textbook list is available at
SchooI system headquarters for pub
fishers and dealers alike.
-. The chief handicap to be suffered by
the Capital is in the field of the smaller
reading" books used in the literature
courses. Teachers have preference for
certain editions of the standard classics
and their pupils are instructed to buy
theSe EDITIONS. Previously, local book
oealeTs nave interviewed teachers dur
ing the last few Llonths of the closing
school year to learn. these preferences in
order to stock the proper volumes for
the next year. These interviews were
not undertaken this year, SO literature
teachers will be obliged TO instruct their
students with any available books lack
ing at times those containing the edu-
cational notes found heretofore to be
valuable classroom work.