216

LAWS OF MARYLAND.

the passage of this act; but said boards shall have the right at
any time to change any series of text books already in use or
hereafter adopted; provided, that text books shall be furnished
under the provisions of this act to the several grades in the
public schools, successively, beginning with the first grade ;
and provided, that said boards shall not be required to expend
during any school year for said text books, more than the sev-
eral amounts of money received by said boards, respectively,
under the provisions of this act; and provided, that indigent
pupils of all grades shall receive text books free of cost, as pro-
vided under the provisions of existing laws; and provided,
the said respective boards shall adopt such means for the pur-
chase of text books by competitive bidding, as far as is practi-
cable, and at the lowest possible price. And provided, that
parents or pupils may purchase their own text books when
they may think proper; and provided further, that the several
Boards of 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
by the State Board of Education.

60. The said several boards shall authorize the delivery of

Delivery of
text books.

text books to the various public schools under their supervision,
respectively. And shall provide for the issuing, safe keeping,
care and return of the same, under such rules and regulations,
as they may severally adopt.

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

Accounts to
be kept.

moneys expended under the provisions of this act, and report
the same in the annual financial accounts as required by law,
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.

Appropria-
tion.

SEC. 2. And be it enacted, That the sum of one hundred and
fifty thousand dollars, be and the same is hereby appropriated,
to be paid by the State Treasurer upon the warrant of the
Comptroller, on the first day of August, 1896, and annually
thereafter, and to be expended or as much thereof as may be
necessary for the purchase of text books as provided in this
act.

Apportion-
ment of
appropria-
tion.

SEC. 3. And be it enacted, That the whole of said sum
shall be apportioned by the Comptroller in the month of July
of each and every year, as the State school tax is now appor-
tioned, and he shall immediately thereafter notify the Treasurer