Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 227, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 September 1919 — BOOK PRINTERS FAIL TO DELIVER [ARTICLE]

BOOK PRINTERS FAIL TO DELIVER

—— ; ■ - .. x. z SCHOOL TEXT SHORTAGE LAID i TO FIRM HOLDING MANUFACTURING CONTRACT. —_ —— : —— ——— J The text book shortage in Indiana, which is being investigated by order of the state board -of education, is a result of the failure of a Hammond, Ind., printing and binding company to fulfill agreements with the book companies, according to Indiana representatives of companies holding state contracts. It is pointed out that all grade texts used in the state are manufactured iby one Hammond company, with the exception of a few minor texts printed at Fort Wayne and elsewhere. The practice of the book companies securing the contracts seems t o’b eto “farm out” the actual printing, binding and manufacture of the books to other companies. Just why practically all the companies have selected the Hammond factory is not known. It is said, however, that attempts have—been made^in the past to secure the consent of the state board of education to a resolution which would make the print-

ing of state adopted texts by an Indiana firm firm mandatory. “ Such action has never been taken by the heard t ~ ~ 0. L. Watkins, Indiana representative of Ginn & Cti., holding the. state contract for grade school arithmetics, attributed the inability of his company to meet all orders promptly to the failure of their printing and binding, company to get the work done. The books for which Ginn & Co., hold the state contract are printed in Hammond, according to Mr. Watkins. Representatives of other concerns holding state contracts attributed the shortage to the same condition. John R. Carr, manager of the educational department of the Bobbs Merrill company, of Indianapolis, which has astate contract for readers,said his company was filling all orders promptly. A shortage of readers published by other companies and adopted for state use has been reported. The Bobbs-Merrill company formerly held the contract for all the state readers, but other companies obtained some of the contracts at the last letting of the state board. The companies having the new contracts seem to be having the most difficulty in supplying the Indiana schools, hccording to reports received at the state department of public instruction. Reports continue to reach the state department of public instruction concerning the shortage in various parts of the state. A letter was received from an Indiana school official yesterday who wished to obtain permission to use other than the regularly adopted state texts because the state books could not be obtained. This permission can not be granted because the law requires the use of the adopted texts in all the schools. The only relief available in this inatance, it was pointed out, is for the official to make an attempt to get the state texts. Additional reports of book shortages were received from various counties yesterday. The state board of education ordered an investigation of the situation at its meeting Tuesday. This investigation is to be conducted by Eie Stansbury, attorney general of Indiana, and L. N. Hines, state superintendent of public instruction.