Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-05-05

- dAIeBeu ulomdudBtHicul VI the puDilSuiH
e house by A. H. Redford, its former agen
The Report.
The report says: The settlement with A
: II. Redford, his predecessor in Office, whicl
: you had decided to be necessary and specif
cally enjoined upon us, we found to b.
embarrassed by difficult and tedious com
plexities. He met us at the beginning witt
the claim that he had already made settle
tlanaar4---ill-tha .-.fa-4..44a
therefore had none to make with
the Committee of Three to in
vestigste the accounts and 10 conduct
the settlement. The book agent, ]. E. Nc
Ferrin, was requested to prepare and place
before this subcommittee specifications in
writing of such matters as, in his judgment
required particular examination under the
resolution of the General Conference. He
accordingly furnished paper, setting forth
in general terms substantially that A. Fl.
Redford was
I INDEBTED TO THE PUBLISHING HOUSE
on several distinct items of account, the
first relating to bis salary as agent, the sec-
ond to the publication ard sale of certain
looks of which he was the author, the third
| to certain individual acceptances for Wm.
/ NTOmey, Ddiu OIL lUS luuus Oh the 0OuSP,
| and the fourth to profits on merchandise
bought through and from his private book
| store in Louisville, while he was on a salary
as agent for the publishing house. This
paper was furnished to A II. Bedford ard a
written reply thereto requested, with which
request he complied. In addition to the
points thus disposed of, it was sflerward
| discovered from the business records OF the
| house that A Ii. Redford had so managed
the sale of books made by him at the annual
conferences from year to year that the
RETAIL PROFITS INJURED TO HIM INDIvIDU-
ALLY,
wbie the expenses of transportation and
sale and the losses from delays and failure
to collect the bills fell on the publishing
house; and j. B. McFerrin specified this as
an additional point to be examined in the
settlement of his account. The business
books OF the house showed plainly that, as
agent, A. III. Redford had charged himself
less for the manufacture of his books than
others were charged for similar work. For
example: Exclusive of the plates in each
case, Bishop Paine's Life IF MeReadrte, con-
tanning an average of twenty-six pages less
than Redfords Msthodism IN Kentucky, and
published about the same time, cost the author
tifty-six cents per copy, while A. III. Redford's
book of exactly the same style cost him only
forty-six cents per copy, difference of more
than twenty per cent. McFerrin's first vol |
ume of Netaod'sm is Tennessee, published |
about the same time as Rsdford's MethOdism |
in Kentucky and containing thirteen pages !
more and in the same style cost ffty-nine |
and one fifth cents per copy, or about twenty |
eight per cent. above what
All. REDFoRD CHARGED HIMSELF.
The subcommittee were convinced that |
only the net amount paid out by the house
for the material actually consumed, and the |
labor directly employed in The manufacture |
OF these books had been charged TO A. H. |
Redford, though the usual per cent. neces-
sary to cover proportionate part of the |
general expense Of the house, such
as agents and bookkeeper's salaries, insur-
ance, taxes, wear and tear, interest, ETC.,
should have been added, and also without any
profit TO the manufacturer. Upon this evil
dence, and the statements of other pub
fishers, they decided that not less Than
twenty per cent, added to the amounts pre-
viously charged to A. H. Redford would
compensate the house for the proper proper
ton of this general expense which ought to
have been distributed on his books, as had
BOOKS of the house disclosed the further fact
that Immediately on the issuance of his
books from the press A. II. Redford found in
A. H. BEDFORD, AGENT,
a cash purchaser, usually by entire edi-
tions, at wholesale rates, which yielded him
a net profit in hand Of more Than 156 per
cent. on the cost of manufacture, which
cost, without a dollar supplied by him,
the house was made to advance, as
we'll as to incur the risks and
suffer the losses from delay and failure both
to sell to the trade and to collect the bills.
In view of the facts recited and inasmuch
as A. II. Redford, on the basis of settlement
agreed upon, was to receive the entire pro- |
cseds OF the sale of his books as made by the
house, the subcommittee thought it fair 10
charge him a reasonable percentage on the
aggregate amount of sales for taxes and
postage paid. aud the expense of receiving,
storing, insuriDg, selling, boxing and deliver
ing them 10 purchasers This question of
for the manufacture and sale
Of his books
GAVE RISE TO A CONTEST
which threatened to delay if not to defeat a
settlement without litigation. After several
A. II. Redford made PROPOSE !
ion, which, upon mature consideration, it :
was thought best to accept as a full and fnal ,
settlement of his account with the publish
ug house. Although two important items Of +,
hat account had not yet been t,ktn mp in !
he investigation OF details, and while the
proposition submitted involved a departure
n important particulars from the basis of
ettlement agreed upon it contained pledge
rom a. II. Redford TO
SETTLE THE ACCOUNT AT ONCE I
With notes secured by second mortgage on h
ertaiu properly owned by him near Edge :.
ield, Tenn, ana in Louisville, KY, already .
Inder a first mortgage to secure indorsers on 4
0tes made by him as agent, and upon which b
hree of these indorsers had then paid S20,- g
90. 1t was believed that the success of the 81
cheme Tor the relief OF the house wculd e
emove this prior mortgage and leave said |,
available a security to the pub
,shing house, since il would then hold the =
rst mortgage. Ii was now appsrent that
hese items OF his account already
Investigated in detail, even the s.
Ssis of A. II. Redford's proposition, h
-ould make him Il debtor to the house in an ii
mount equal, in our judgment, to what d
ould be realized from the property in1i- C
ated, which was the entire visible property o
laimed in his individual right. As busi- C
ess transaction, having regard TO the finan- Ii
al interests of the publishing house, your ii
1mmittee were pnrsuaded tkat this was a o
,sult as
GOOD AS THEY COULD HOPE To REACH, u
lher with or without the consent of A. H
edford. Besides, the two items of his ac-
punt that remained to be investigated en- =.
raced numerous and complicate transac- !;
ms of minute and tedious details, the =
curate determination of which involved Z
eculiar embarrassment if not insurmount- ],
bic dIfhculty. 1he aggregate OF the bliIs N
sainst the house for purchases of books and = =
lerchsndise made through and from A. H !,
.sdford's personal bookstore in Louisville, :, =
! shown by the business books OF the house, /;
mount d to $57, 800. But of these bills the "a -
voices can't be found, and A. III. Redford y
lformed the COMMITTEES that they
HAD BEEN BURNED BY HIS ORDER,
hen they were two years old, as he said was G.
is custom. A basis for partial restoration ie
these invoices was two old day books OF D
lie Louisville hou se, which A. III. Redford 81
lid he supposed to have been lost or stolen, a
at which we're found with lot of other old 81
Doks in the publishing house after J. B. 81
IcFrrrin's agency began. These books en- q
raced only part of the transactions in-
.nded to be investigated, and mad TO be =,
lpplemented by oral evidence TO be taken :, ..
distant points, which we had not compul- !.
Try means of obtaining. The sales OF books -
the annual conferences were managed as =
,llows: Usually they were charged on the y
1siness books OF the house to \. II. Red =, -
rd at
FORTY PER CENT. DISCOUNT,
ld in one instance noted at fifty per cent b,
scount. They were then boxed and ship ! i