The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-11-18
TRACTS AND BACK TRACKS.
Startling Disclosures Regarding the American
Tract Society Of Boston.
How the Accounts Have Been Prepared end
Coz ked-Ex.ravagant Expenditures and Sim
gular Mismanagement-T The Causes of the
Recent Disruption Reorganization or
General Smash-up Inevitable.
Bosroy. Nov. II, 1871.

| boolUN, NOV. lT 1917.
The American Tract Society tof Boslon) has been
found TO be in very rotten condition For some
months there have been rumors or wrong doings on
the part OF The management and satisfactory ex-
panatlon being desirable, a committee OF investi-
CATION was appointed, ana having attended to their
duties the result was made known at q
special meeting held in this city this forenoon. The
report, after reerring to the organization OF the
committee says that the workings OF the Society
! during the eleven years OF its history SIN ce It
ceased 70 be branch OF the Society at New YORK.
and resumed It's independant existence ought TO be
known to enable the formation of sound opini as
TO the causes OF Its present condition, and the needs
OF Its possible future or the Christian character OF
Its publications and the good thereby &C emphasized
nothing need be said. It's financial operations are
! all that need consideration. The work OF The go.
cety has been theoretically divided into two depart.
ments, called Inc Charitable Department ana the
Business Department. Tie total expenditures Of
the Charitable Department have been 500 l5s OF
| this amount 1878 oOs has been expended
! in what is called charitable work-in grants
| colportage. expenses or army work and
gratultous distribution; although it is ques :
tohaoie whether coiportage, beng u
great extent business agency. Is Wholly charitable
The expenses OF carrying on This epartment-sec-
retary and expenses. s2.,2jo; cost OF collection
soI,seli all other expenses including freghts on
grants. o!ce expenses half the annual report and
the ike, $247s5, amounts 10 S1l99o7, which Is the
amount expended in Ice superlnteudence collect
ing moneys and distributing the publications given
aWay-a iiitle more than twentyfour per cent oil all
donations and egacies and an annual average Of
S1o.ooo. The final item OF total salaries Is included
in other items but is here given separately infor
nation. 1t excludes the salaries or colporteurs but
Includes the salaries and expenses OF ali other OIL
Gals, including that or Mr.. Alvord, who then
secretary and nomlnaliy stationed at New YORK.
though actually on detached service. 10 amounts to
$lZ7li3 paid for person / service and personal
penses, being little more than rs OF ali The receipts
nf hanl OnI
$l1,549 for salaried officials excluding coporteurs
Including coporteurs the amount pad Tor salaries
and personal expenses Is SAITH, annual aver
age for p .rsonal service OF sl3 433.
The question Is still a debatabe one how far the
sucn expenses while discussed by a publishing
house. II there were no publication department the
cnaei.les mus. necessariy pear tner own cnarges
1860 the report sad:-"We nope so to conduct our
business affairs that the whole amount given in the
current collections OF the charities and In legacies
shall 20 for gratuit0us distributions This hope
has proved lallacious. The cost OF collecting agen-
cies seems unfortunately high-$67,S9l for col
lectlng donations to the amount OF ss9l, 2o0 and
Tor what influence they may have had in securing
indispensable. But the charities are TO bear this
great expense 1t seems but fair that they should
have me profits on the publications they buy OF the
Tie data given by oficers to the cost of books,
snow that more than $4,000 prot las been mads
by the business department the cost OF It's sales
to the charitable department. But had this amount
been credited to the charitable department, the
ciety would have been insolvent years ago. In any
case, Is worthy Of recollection that the business
expenses OF this society have been relieved or at
least the support OF one secretary of two while 1t
had enc In New York, all the district secretaries
(twoInrds Of the western secretaries, agents,
freight Of grants three-eghths OF all the puDiica
tons, and Incidental expenses OF this department
all OF which have been paid out Of donations ana
legaces.
the e ID sees 81 IN
which sum donations had ralen from S29239 % IN
1850. The first year Of separate work showed an
increase of nearly $1,000: tile next year more than
$1,000 additional. At the date or tie meeting IN
1S6lwar mad commenced. The society appealed for
help In distributing publications in the army and
navy, and was answered by an increase Of nearly
$4,000, nearly $4,000 OF which was specially de-
signaJed by the donors as for army work. In 1863
the donations increased a few hundred dollars
Rev. Mr.. Alvords admirable work IL the army,
with that OF others, soon became appreciated, ana
1864 showed a further increase OF nearly $1,000
the war ended and donations diminished more
than $1,000 although the special n Efforts yes OF
probably assisted in this dminution. But at that
date the work among the freedmen had assumed
great importance. This Society entered jealousy
into that work. and the report OF 1861 showed an
Increase OF nearly $4,000. But the whole OF II dis.
Its novelty, while others, with superior facilities had
entered into 1t. In SC9 collecting agents had been
rariiy existing with the Society at New York; and
the regular donations had fallen from SAL 1886 70 IN
made y oSod by the subscriptions Of slis2l 81 TO
special Dublin tract fund. In the uncertainty as 70
the status and policy OF the Society, the donations
In 1870 had fallen to S9,54l IS, Win an additional
Dublin tract fund OF S45l 10,
rne legacies, averaging considerably above the
average OF The ten next previous TO the sepa-
crease, with the annual donations. The uncertainty
or dates OF bequest renders minute comparison OF
! little value,
| lne assets, which have been reported year by
| year. show steady increase up 10 1862 aud sud
den dninutiOn in 1870 OF Sll8,l27 49, This dlmlnu-
ton explained IN the statement Of the Execpdye
Committee in May 1870, OF that amount $14ll5 10
business but the further decrease Of so4 Is was
due the excessive over valuation OF assets In 1869
previous years, ana to the forgetiuness III that
year OF the fact that the society owed $2,772 81 10
subscribers IN periodicals not then prlnted-viz.,
from May to December.
$6 100 IS, when IT actually cost put 1872 LOS 70 ana
could be replaced for that sum. The report hnd
thus reckoned supposable future profits as present
assets and had not reckoned the certain iuture ex
penses as liabilities. NO proper depreciation mad
annually been charged OF the value OF stereotype
plates aud engravin.s. When this brought to
the notice OF the present Executive Committee 1t
and procured the services Of Mr.. William Lee, whose
appraisal was $46.393 49, while that OF Messrs. LIN
clln Il Wardwe was $4J,3i4 81.
receiving inflated estimates OK Its assets From
year TO Year the officials seem TO have had eXagge
rated views of the value OF the stock and plates IN
which the funds oil the society were Locked up. 80
long as large donations furnished pracucaiy y Cas
when donations diminished It's operations were al
once crippled. 49, , ;.
|, III SeeiuS tiedr 10 Nuuu nav pSou S."Si "
have followed the example OF some very judlclous
publishers, by charging STEREOTYPE paes. &c: y
the cot OF the first edition, and thereafter estimated
them at the value OF type metal. The net result AZ
to profits need moi be charged. The earlier proht'
would have been smaller, but successive editions
would have made 1t up; but the Society would have
been spared the mortiication OF finding It's sup
posed profits locked up IN greatly deprecated
plates The revised estimate OF assests April 30
, 1870, is S73576 ~, and the liabilities S472l0 Al
showing an excess Of assets over liabilities
of S2O,330. In reference to another impOrtan
l item we are aware there VIII be variety
! ! Of opinions; namely, the loss OF the real es
tate now held and improved by the society at 10
fremont street. When the properly III Cornhill wa
sold lease was taken OF the estate in lremon
street for ten years az 1000 per years Sl40O7 81
were invested IN improvements whicn Will TALL init
the hands of the owner ut the expiration or TIL
lease This was done with the expectation mat !
would prove pecaniary benefit. and, although
0 well intended, seems now to have been unfortunate
ana. while the committee believe that there is