The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1879-05-16
SCHOOL BOOK CHANGES.


OF the textbook discussion seems to call
for statement of few additional facts
that will place the matter in its proper
light before your readers, and show the
true animus of Mr.. Fox's apparent dis
SntereStedneSs and devotion to the inter
ests OF the people on this subject. No
attempt has been made to discuss the
question as to the merits of the respect
i've series, because on this point there
has been but one decision by all who
have carefully examined the works-and
that in favor of Appleton's readers
have then only to deal with the question
of figures, and will say, first, that the
prices named by Mr.. Fox are the adver-
tlsed aohOtesate, not retail, prices of A. S.
Barnes 81 Co.'s series. Now it is true,
as he says, that certain districts in the
country, in consideration of adopting
these books, were, about a year ago,
guaranteed wholesale prices for three
years, and have been furnished books at
the figures he names, but no such quar-
guarantee has eDer been made to the En-
pOTi0 schools, and city customers, as
those who have purchased books are
very well aware, have been paying retail
rates; and to many of them the statement
that this schedule of prices has existed
for the past year is a matter of consider
able surprise. The difference, then, be-
tween the prices named by Messrs. Da-
Wis and Fox represents simply the extra
profit that has been made by Mr.. Fox on
sales to his city patrons, about whose in
terests he is at present so solicitous.
do not controvert his statement that in
order to retain their books here, Messrs.
Barnes & Co. are perfectly willing now
to guarantee to this city the same ad-
vantage already accorded to certain dis
tricts in the country-wholesale prices
for five years; but have to say, second,
that no reason exists to prevent D. Ap-
pleton II Co.'s series from being also fur
nlshed at wholesale prices, the terms of
oar guarantee Leaoing that matter entire
Ly 1cEthtn tie control Of tie retail dealers.
Our proposition to the school board
states the wholesale prices of our books,
and says: eve guarantee that they shall
not be increased during the five years
succeeding their adoption, and if from
any cause they are reduced, your dealers
or board shall have the benefit of said
reduction" 1t also guarantees fair
commission for handling, so that if our
retail dealers have sufficient concern for
the interests of the people to so regulate
their gains, they can afford to sell at
wholesale rates, and still make a living
profit. The prices are zoe, &c, 42c, SIC
and 81, respectively, making an aggre-
gate of $3.50 per set for our series, against
$3.50 for their entire set of readers on
the wholesale basis, it being only fair
that all the books an use in the series
should be taken into the calculation.
Though their sixth reader may be, as
Mr.. Fox says, practically obsolete, yet
any one will admit, upon examination,
that their series is necessarily incomplete
for graded school without it, and that
in excellence and completeness of grada-
ton their five books cannot in any sense
compete with our full set. This makes
a difference of $106 in our favor, the
spoilers not being included in the state
ment, though the facts remain, first, that
there are at present spoilers of some
kind in use in the schools, 0hough of
what series do not know, and second,
that our books obviate the necessity of
separate spoilers, which makes this an
additional point of economy. From
these statements it will be seen then,
list. That if any fair comparison be in
stituted, placing wholesale against whole
sale and retail against retail prices, in
either case the aggregates are in our IA
vor.
End. The astounding reduction in the
prices for the Independent readers for
this city, advertised by Mr.. Fox in his ar
ticle of Monday, seems to have been call
ed forth simply by the action OF the board
in the change of readers, rather than
from any desire to save the peoples
money.
Bird. Mr. Fox has a practical oppor-
tunitY to show his ..nblic spirit and ac-
commodate 10 patrons, now that the in
PRODUCTION h:, is4;, Effected, by furnish
ing the new bz5o.,s in connection with
the other book house, at wholesale prices
for the next five years.
JOSEPH Fl. HILL.