to work out a schedule on homework to improve their reading ability. She found there was not a newspaper, magazine, book, not even a mail-order catalog in the home so the children could become acquainted with the written word. The only printed material available to the children in the home to practice reading was canned food labels. I believe you will agree with me the vocabulary of these children would be very limited. A newspaper editor made this statement, and I quote: "When a bookmobile was first mentioned, I felt it was very idealistic, and I was not sold on the idea. I started thinking as I read articles following the first bookmobile committee meeting, and I began paying attention to the statistics of the earning capacity based on the education level of the people. I had read these statistics many times before without being impressed, but then came my realization that if we could raise the educational level of the people only a little, it would return the money spent twofold." Members of the committee, I feel this library services bill to promote the future development of library service in rural areas may return in earning capacity of rural people, the money spent twofold, and hope this committee will give it favorable consideration. Mr. HUSSEY. I would also like to submit a letter from Hon. Thomas Ludlow Ashley, a Representative in Congress from the 9th District of Ohio. Mr. LANDRUM. Without objection, that may be inserted in the record at this point. DEAR COLLEAGUE: As a cosponsor of H. R. 2804 now being considered by your subcommittee, I should like to have my support of the bill introduced into the record of the hearings. The public library services of our Nation are a vital part of the educational opportunities which we provide our citizens in an effort to give equal opportunity to all. Unfortunately the condition of library services in rural areas is far from adequate. We must not allow our children to be penalized by their place of birth. We are spending vast sums to insure our Nation's strength abroad. Of great importance also is our strength at home. As Mr. Carl Elliott, Representative from Alabama, pointed out in last year's hearings on a similar bill, the cost over a 5-year period of passage of H. R. 2804 would not be more than that of providing every man, woman and child in the United States with a pack of chewing gum. This modest sum will not only do a good deal to provide our rural areas with library services, but will also stimulate local governments to do their part in giving better library facilities to our children and adults. Once a locality has had a taste of adequate library services, I am sure the citizenry would do all in their power to see that such services were continued and expanded. The State of Ohio would receive $271,000 from the passage of this bill. In my district funds would be made available for the Lucas County Library and the Sylvania Public Library in an amount proportionate to the rural and semirural population in those areas. Ohio is doing one of the best library service jobs in the Nation, but as Robert D. Franklin, president of the Ohio Library Association has pointed out, rural service is not at all comparable to that in the cities. The greatest need, he stated, was in the field of books for children. In more than half the counties of Ohio, not all children have access to library books. The State agencies have made programs for expansion of rural library service. I strongly urge your subcommittee to report this bill out favorably so that these important programs for lifting the educational level of the American people can be begun. Sincerely yours, THOMAS LUDLOW ASHLEY, Mr. LANDRUM. Now, with that, the committee will adjourn until tomorrow morning at 9:30, when we will try to move along as quickly as possible. (Whereupon, at 4:30 p. m., the subcommittee was recessed, to be reconvened at 9: 30 a. m. Friday, May 27, 1955.) FEDERAL AID FOR LIBRARY SERVICE IN RURAL AREAS FRIDAY, MAY 27, 1955 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, ON EDUCATION AND LABOR, Washington, D. C. The subcommittee met, pursuant to recess, at 9:30 a. m., in room 429, House Office Building, Hon. Phil M. Landrum (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Representatives Landrum, Metcalf, Green, and Coon. Present also: Fred G. Hussey, chief clerk; John O. Graham, minority clerk; Edward A. McCabe, chief counsel; Russell C. Derrickson, chief investigator. Mr. LANDRUM. The committee will come to order. The first witness on the schedule this morning appears to be Mrs. Charlotte Pelissier, legislative chairman of the Arlington branch of the American Association of University Women. Do you have a statement, Mrs. Pelissier? Mrs. PELISSIER. Yes, I do, Mr. Chairman. STATEMENT OF MRS. RAYMOND PELISSIER, ARLINGTON, VA., Mrs. PELISSIER. First, I would like to introduce myself and identify the organization I represent. My name is Mrs. Raymond Pelissier, and I live in Arlington, Va. I am a member of the legislative committee of the Virginia division of the American Association of University Women, and I have served as legislative program chairman for the Arlington, Va., branch of the association since 1951. In this capacity I am charged with the responsibility of guiding the legislative activities of our branch within the framework of the association's legislative program adopted biennially at the AAUW conventions. It is in the implementation of the association's legislative program that our branch has studied and has recommended passage of the library services bills. The American Association of University Women has a membership of over 135,000 college-trained women, and is organized into over 1,300 branches located in all 48 States, Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, and the District of Columbia. The association has long maintained an active study program in the field of education which is the basis of the association's interest in the libary services bills now being considered by this committee. Guided by local study groups throughout the United States, the biennial convention, at its most recent meeting in Minneapolis, Minn., in June 1953, adopted the following resolution: We recognize the important effects which the mass media of communication have upon the education of American children, youth, and adults, and we will work to extend and improve the educational and cultural use of libraries, films, radio, and television. At the same time the convention voted to adopt the following legistive item: Support of measures to advance the educational use of radio, television, films, and other media of communication. We consider free library service to be an important facet of communication. Our national office has reports from many AAUW branches who are working at the State and local levels to improve library services. An example of only one such program is the project developed by the AAUW branch in the little town of Glendive, Mont.-a children's radio book quiz, which, in a 12-year period, after only 20 radio sessions, increased the circulation of children's book in the local library by 540 percent. And I would like to show you a chart which has been prepared to show the great increase in the circulation of juvenile books from the time the program began. This covers the first 3 years of this program, which is still being presented, and it shows the percentage increase over the September 1948 figure, which was the month in which the program began. The bottom line is the first year, of 1948 to 1949, and when the circulation showed an increase of 200 percent. Then the second year, indicated by the red line, it climbed up to this 540 percent increase. And in the third year, indicated by the blue line, you see that there was an increase in practically every month over the preceding two years of the program. Mr. LANDRUM. Why do you have that? Mrs. PELISSIER. The chart? Mr. LANDRUM. Your chart apparently shows a decline in the last years. Can you account for that? Mrs. PELISSIER. Well, this chart is based on the months, only on the months in which the program is presented, which would be from September to May during the school year. And I think you will find that at the end of a school year there will be a natural drop perhaps in the reading activities as it comes to a close. Mr. LANDRUM. I do not believe I made my question clear. Your blue line-which is your last annual statistics? Mrs. PELISSIER. Yes. Mr. LANDRUM. That represents the increase over your red line. Is that right? Mrs. PELISSIER. It represents the increase for this year over the September 1948 figure. Mr. LANDRUM. I see. So there actually is no decline anywhere. Mrs. PELISSIER. That is right. It has all increased. But it is over that base figure for September 1948. Fortunately, in this town there existed a small public library. Through cooperation of the librarian, the school officials, the local |