The sun., 1870-01-12
RELIGIOUS RASCALITY.
NOW THE METHODIST hook CON-
Germ HAS BEEN PLUNDERED.

CEIfN HAS BEEN FL LONDEaED'
Minority Report Of the Book Committee
The Little Difference between what tbe
Concern Paid for Paper, aud what ITS
Agents Pnid-Lcatber, and Gold swcep-
iugs.
We, the undersigned members Of the Book
Committee, respectfully dissent nom the report OF
tho majority, adopted yesterday. for the following
reasons:
1. Because nothing has como before us during our
present session to relieve our convictions Of losses
and mismanagement in the Book Concern, go Insult
ciently expressed In the Comuittoe's report In No
vomber last.
O. Because, from testimony before the Committee,
appears that the Book Agents, for series OF years.
purchased very largo part Of their paper from or
through middlc-man or paper broker, who rotrc'
sented himself TO paper manufacturers "a CONTROL
ling tho purchase Of paper for the Book Concfn.
and whose relation TO OF the Agents gave special
eredibility TO his representations, and who also
represented himself 20 the Book Concern % the
accredited agent Of certain leading manufacturer.
This method Of purchases appears TO Us discredta.
bic, snd almost Of necessity damaging to tue house.
0. Because the testimony before the Committee
shown that this system actually uds damaging 70 the
Book Concern. The Agents have bought siucc 1850
from through the above named mddlc-man paper
TO tho amount Of nearly $700,0o0 from him direct
about $8o0000, through him broker about 1880.
0o0 The statement" Of the Assistant Agent TO tie
Committee, corroboratol, as 10 IL, by documents
drawn from the books Of the dealers referred TO,
and also from the order Book OF tho Printing
Department OF tho Methodist Book Concern,
clearly ehowa that on sales to the Book Con-
ceru, amounting to $4,000 10, between July. 1867,
and August, 1868 the profit accrung TO the above
named " broker was SG,s05.0i; and that during the
eamo ncriod hta cotnm,aaiona O IN purchasca rnde
from - -, and - - amount
ed TO SCOOPS. Between August, 1858, and June,
1SCl he received from those two houses commissions
sn & 70 'c1 on pSr Syc these IS spcc
mems only, not pretending TO siy what was the
whole amount of profits and commissions on the en-
tire sum of nearly s101000 Bat We apocnd tile iol-
lowing tier from Campbell, Hal 4 Co, sho wing
that ~ ono case at least, profit of thirty per cent
was charged.
NEW York. jan 90 1870.
| q" Rer. j. LdBdhan.
that va Oa IAN s IN o sy T. yHa5 Sne & Sss
40, ns. ~ cents n le.s2H cent amounting
fds BOOK Vi Ss aHf sOi aScf As
Lawns aiisrSnse q sssidi 'sS%'Hs proat cfoSei
l. Because II was In evidence before the Committee
that all the manufacturers and dealers whose testi
mony was given would have sold TO the house direct
ly as cheapy they sold TO Mr.. J. r. Porter, with
pclow.
The following letters forrn q part OF this tcsti-
mony:
"NEw YorK, Nov. 10, 1850.
"DEAR sIRi We would say, In answer to your in
Boos Concern the paper which we DID ihroGgh Mr. Por.
S5as1s d * .S I 81 s w sss Ss fS &c
Mr.: Porter. had those ordcrs come to us droct
sowsa S, ono eeai soand % your soelc,y q we
whS w S d and pT G @
unasI protest feoITg t., 4 was tie oniy way mat
ms wOS when s SSad Srsss Se a
Do ouT pn ,ess VIM your soeeiy a. We had iormerly
done before Nr. Porter came upon The asld % sstlOn
our S.S o.Ger ,n,,, lar e customer; , - -
.,2hn LanaAan D. D, Ntto Yo,t u o0'OU'' ~ '''''
wssiSsr ~. from JS,y: is @ SSy is wound under
Porter 1.-THE Agents Of said BOOK Concern. or their ON
I'm reoly lnoS no rcs.on Why under the ,nms CIR
Methods, BOOK Conacrn as TO NJ fcrter. ~" " '"e
The following Is IN extract OF letter dated Dec.
%, 1860;
"The letter TO which Mr. Goodenongh refers Is proba-
by s % one s,sS Ss s s Shs ayI saG s that Ter
the Book Concern direct 70 Mr. Porter. by ths i
mean, tha, hsd no nonye for nskinT low pies. 70
Of the Book Concern aPgiiea to & ~, direct" &C.,
/" Eer. Dr.. John Ld1ahan: 80 '''''
Should srs sF AZ .sP lie % Io yGSs rnsse5
Peper SOLD TO Mr. Porte and upon INC same terms.
nave 10 oun. aYqd meet certainly have done go
8 Because no evidence In rcbut,al OF the above
the eject that the purchase OF through middle
| men was not uDlrequent. Moreover, an assertion
was made to the Committee that prices paid ny the
Concern for paper low those paid by other
publishing houses. But the testimony showed:
exception, and not the rule tnat, especially In large
establishments, the usage - TO purchase directly
from manufacturers; and ~, that even where
one per cent A. to com oarative prices paid by tn
Book Concern and other houses, itwas conclusivry
shown tlAt no clear proof Is possible from the very
nature OF the case. And, moreover. oar concern Is
not what other houses paid Tor paper but what the
Methodist Book Concern might have bought lt for
Tic agents vi such an lnsutuIon as the Methodist
Book Concern ought certainly 10 buy their paper OF
manulacturt Ts as CT caply as any broker
6. Because, IN our Judgment, based upon testimo-
ny before us, the following losses have occurred IN
the bud ry: a. H. leather, from December /. 1861
| TO September !, 1902 bought by tie Book Cuurern
but not accounted Tor shown To have been us e In
the bindery, ABOUT $4,000 (2) Also within inc
| paid for and not accounted for, about $500
| T. Because We believe that funds OF the Book Con
eern have been saerleed and placed in Jeopardy by
the appropriation OF tho gold sweolings TO the head
oi .be oindery as perqusite instead Of small sup
plement TO his sa'a.y. For several years thn pur
chases OF gold leai have averaged over IS 90 per
| year, and the gold s~eepings have amounten we IRE
cony nced TO at least fifteen per cent OF the vi ole
purchase making annually al least Sl,aJ. ANY EN-.
ployee Is danger usy tempted when lis cor eless use
OF costly materials results in tue increase his own
salary.
| For the above reasons, not 10 name other. we
feel ourselves compelled tO pTrsent this minority re-
port; and We further ieo ourselves compelled to
say, lhat the methods OF making purcl asVs la the
printing department, the methods OF paving wages
and keeping acrounts thereof in the bndgry and The
methods OF cheek ng invoices Of goods rec we'd
have been detective and likely, therefore, to lead t.
| losses We at tne same umo express our 6rm belief
and hope that tho Book Committees vesugations
have so lar awakened attention, aud W II cad TO
such impr Yemenls In the method Of business that
| the Book Concern will be secirtd to o very great
extcnt against tie possibility OF similar Irregular ties
and loser hereafter.
And finally, We beg TO say that we fully concur I'm
that part OF me report Of the majority which eI
n lup A 4
| tine solyency ofthe Book Concern.
HENRY sLICER,
| JAMES PIkR
NEW York, Feb' 10, 1870 l.. NJ. VkltNON,
NorE1he names otho writer's the letters given in
this report, aud the LTnH ua to- arc ulri in
lnn al fl,. ~