EDWIN WARFIELD, ESQ., GOVERNOR.

993

That the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars per annum,

or as much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropri-

Appropriation.

ated out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appro-

priated, to carry into effect the provisions of this Act.

59. The Board of Public School Commissioners of Baltimore

City and each Board of County School Commissioners shall

adopt and purchase text-books for use in the public schools of

Free text-
books.

said city and of the several counties of the State, as such new

text-books are required, and when so purchased the necessary

text-books shall be furnished free of cost for use in the public

schools of the State, subject to the order of said boards; but

said boards shall have the right at any time to change any

series of text-books already in use or hereafter adopted; pro-

vided, that text-books shall be furnished under the provisions

of this Act to the several grades in the public schools succes-

sively, beginning with the first grade; and provided, that the

said board shall not be required to expend during any school

year for said text-books more than the several amounts of

money received by said boards respectively, under the pro-

visions of this Act; and provided, that indigent pupils of all

grades shall receive text-books free of cost, as provided under

provisions of existing laws; and provided, the said respective

boards shall adopt means for the purchase of text-books by

competitive bidding, and at the lowest possible price ; and pro-

vided, that parents or pupils may purchase their own text-

books when they may think proper; and provided further,

Proviso.

that the several Boards of County School Commissioners

shall furnish annually to the State Board of Education the

title, the name of the publisher and the net price paid for each

text-book so purchased, which information shall be set forth

in full in the annual report made to the State Board of Edu-

cation.

61. The said several boards shall keep an account f of all

moneys expended under the provisions of this Act, and report

Account of

the same in the annual financial account, as required by law;

moneys ex-
pended.

and no money so received by them shall ever be used for any

other purpose than for the purchase of school books, as pro-

vided by the two preceding sections; except in such counties

where there may remain a surplus after the purchase of ne-

cessary text-books, the boards may expend such surplus

amounts in the purchase of maps of the State of Maryland and

supplementary reading books for pupils.