Superintendents to apportion debts in divided districts. Superintendent to issue payment of warrants. AN ACT providing for the adjustment and payment of debts contracted by Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of SECTION 1. It shall be the duty of the county superintendent, on or before the first day of May, 1897, in each county in this territory, to audit any outstanding indebtedness that may have been contracted by any school district prior to the time such district was changed, and apportion the same to the districts now comprising the territory of such district, taking as a basis of apportionment the assessed valuation of property included in the boundaries of said divided district, and he shall apportion to each of the districts which have acquired the territory of said divided district such portion of said indebtedness as the assessed valuation of the property of that portion of the territory thus acquired, bears to the entire assessed valuation of such divided district. SECTION 2. When such apportionment has been orders on made the county superintendent shall have the power, treasurer for and it is hereby made his duty, to issue orders on the county treasurer in payment of all warrants issued against said divided districts, which orders shall be paid by the county treasurer on presentation, or as soon as he may have sufficient funds to the credit of such district: Provided, All such orders so drawn shall be paid before any other outstanding warrant indebtedness against said district or districts: Provided, That orders against such district shall only be issued for the amount of indebtedness proportioned to the same under the provisions of this act. Superintend SECTION 3. The county superintendent shall have ent to dispose the power to dispose of any property which may belong to any such divided districts, by agreement with of property. the district board retaining the property of such divided district: Provided, That the funds arising from the sale of such property shall be applied by the county superintendent to the payment of the indebtedness of said divided district or districts. SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval. Approved March 12, 1897. AN ACT providing for the purchase of text books for use in the public Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of superintend tract for lisher's bond. SECTION 1. It shall be the duty of the territorial Territorial superintendent of public instruction to ascertain, ent to conwithin sixty days after the passage of this act, what books; pubtext-books in the various branches taught in the public schools of the territory are in most general use in said schools; and, having made out a list of such textbooks for use in all public schools of the territory, shall enter into a contract or contracts, for a period of five years in the name of the Territory of Oklahoma, with the publishers of said books for the supply of said books to the public schools of the territory: Provided, That the said publishers shall guarantee to supply the said books at the lowest prices at which the said books are sold anywhere in the United States; that the prices of said books shall not be increased by the publishers, and that the purchasers of the same in the Territory of Oklahoma shall receive the benefit of any reduction made in such prices anywhere within the United States: Also provided, That the said publishers shall execute and deliver to the territorial Superintendent to report contract and list of books to county superintendents and boards of education. Intent, to prevent changes of books, and losses thereby. Superintendent to report his acts to board of education. superintendent of public instruction on the execution of the contract or contracts herein before provided for, a satisfactory bond in the sum of twenty thousand ($20,000.00), [dollars], properly secured, for the faithful performance of said contract or contracts. SECTION 2. Immediately after the completion of said contract or contracts, and the filing of satisfactory bonds on the part of the contracting publishers as provided in section 1 of this act, the territorial superintendent of public instruction shall make a full statement of the transaction, including a complete list of the books contracted for, fully describing each and giving the price of each agreed upon, and naming the publishers agreeing to furnish said books, together with such information as he may deem necessary; and said superintendent shall transmit, by mail, a copy of said statement to each county superintendent, the secretary of each board of education and the clerk of each school district in the territory, and said officer shall carefully preserve the same. SECTION 3. The purpose and intent of this act being to secure to the school patrons of the territory exemptions from unnecessary changes of text books, and to those removing from one school corporation to another a relief from the loss incident to a diversity of kinds of school text-books, no change shall be made from any books of said list in any of the public schools of the territory, for a period of five years from the date of such contract or contracts: Provided, That the provisions of this act shall not operate to affect the text-books now in use in any town or city in the territory where the said books are used under contracts by and between the boards of education of said towns or cities and the publishers thereof. SECTION 4. Immediately after the completion of said contract the Superintendent of Public Instruction shall make a full statement of the transaction including a complete list of the books named in the contract, fully describing each and giving the price of each agreed upon, and name the address of the person or persons agreeing to furnish said books, together with such further information as the Territorial Board of Education deem necessary; and said superintendent shall at once transmit by mail a copy of said statement to each county superintendent, the secretary of each board of education and the clerk of each school district in the territory, and said officers shall carefully preserve the same. The Territorial Superintendent shall in like manner furnish to those officers from time to time, and without delay, such additional information as to the action of the Territorial Board of Education to keep said officers fully advised in all matters in which they are interested. SECTION 5. All acts and parts of acts in conflict herewith are hereby repealed. SECTION 6. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its publication. Approved March 12. 1897. AN ACT legalizing the election of the board of education of the city of Shawnee. Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Shawnee tion legalized. SECTION 1. That the election held in the city of Shawnee, Oklahoma Territory, on the thirtieth day of school elecJune, 1896, for the purpose of electing the board of education for said city, be and the same is hereby legalized. SECTION 2. This act shall go into effect from and after its passage and approval. Approved March 6, 1897. Board may call meeting relocation. ARTICLE 11.-DISTRICT 11, IN GRANT COUNTY AU- SECTION. SECTION. Board may call meeting to de- 2. Majority may relocate school AN ACT empowering the district board of school district No. 11, in Grant Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of SECTION 1. That the district board of school disto determine trict No. 11, of Grant county, Territory of Oklahoma, be, and are hereby empowered to call a special meeting in said district for the purpose of relocating the school house site. Majority may relocate site. SECTION 2. Said meeting shall be called and conschool house ducted in all respects as other special meetings of school districts, and if a majority of the electors qualified to vote at said meeting, vote to relocate said school house site, then said district board are hereby empowered to relocate said site at the point designated by the majority of the voters present at said meeting. SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and approval. Approved March 11, 1897. Special meeting called to ARTICLE 12.--DISTRICT 33, IN GRANT COUNTY, AU- SECTION. SECTION. 1. Special meeting called to de- 2. Majority vote shall relocate AN ACT empowering the district booard of school district No. 33, of Grant Be it enacted by the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of SECTION 1. That the district board of school district No. 33, of Grant county, Territory of Oklahoma, |