The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-02-20
Book-Trust Ammunition.

BOOk-TruSt Ammunition.
The latest accession to the artillery with
which the school-book trust is lombard
ing the legislature is pamphlet by S. 5.
PARR, dean of the normal school at De-
Paw, which has just been placed on the
desks OF the members. 1t is rather for
Misunderstanding document of forty-seven
pages, Astounding in alleged statistical
tables, and braced up by authorities in
foot notes. On examination, it will be OBJ
served that the authorities have an IN
duly intimate connection with the trust.
itself-thus: IVAN ANTWERP, BRAGG
q CO.. Cincinnati, in personal
interview" p. Is. ''From facts
furnished Ohio legislative committee
of 1881, by VAN ANTWERP, BRAGG & Co,
Cincinnati; verified by them as current
now" p. 81 Report of the Ohio Commit
tee" PIP. Is, Is, 20, 81, %; State School
Books in Minnesota a Failure" PIP. GA.
Aside from these trust authorities it will
be found that the authorities cited are
generally in support of immaterial points.
The argument of this brochure is start
ling. The first proposition established is
that uniformity in school-books is an in
jury, because it destroys free competition,
which is the most certain means OF secur-
ing cheapness. The second proposition
established is that there is no school-book
trust The third proposition established
is that the school-book trust has been
blessing because it put a stop to free COM
petition, and thereby prevented frequent
changes of school-books. The fourth
proposition established Is That prices
are less than those of any other system.
The fifth proposition established is that
the trust people make smaller profits than
any other class of publishers. The sixth
proposition established is that all systems,
except supply by the trust, abound in
serious evils.
1t is not necessary to answer all of these
propositions. as Mr.. PARR has answered
most of them himself. His showing of
the workings of the business, which is
confessedly made on information from the
trust and is probably as favorable to it as
any statement could be, is sufficient to
call for an immediate abandonment of the
present system. On PIP. 14-l5 he shows
the annual expenditure for school
books in the United States to be from ST.
100000 TO S5,SO0,OOO We may therefore
take the average, 100000, as fair, and
of this amount he shows on p. so that the
publisher has a net profit OF lis per cent,
or 1925, 400. In reality the profit is much
more; and it must be remembered that in
addition toit the consumer pays all the ex-
pense of compiling, publishing and trans
porting, together with the profits of the
wholesale dealer 10 to Is per cent, p.
26) and the retailer (25. per cent, p. %
In other words, the users of school books
in this country pay annually S2,555,000
for the actual expense of school books and
S2,745,000 of profits to publishers
and dealers. Still this gentleman
insists that this is the cheapest
and best system that can be
found. No parallel for this extraordinary
argument can be found outside of the
demonstrations that protection to Ameri-
can labor" is a benefit to the people.
As to Indiana, Mr.. PARR maintains
Opp. 35-37) that although the annual ex-
pense for books to the pupil who buys
new all the books needed is s.. 424 per
year, yet, owing to the use Of old books,
and the fact that one-third of our children
of school age do not attend school, the
actual annual cost for the entire school
enumeration is only 52.l7 cents each.
That is to say, Indiana pays annually for
books for her 100000 school children
$500, $50, of which, according to his fig
ures, Sl25, 731. 10 is actual expense, SlO4, $40
is profit to dealers, and 30,779.90 is net
profit TO the publishers. AS VAN ANT
wERP, BRAGG 4 Co. have about so per
cent. Of the Indiana business, their annual
net profit from this state would be S24, 900,
according to this showing. The amount
paid for profits alone is equivalent to
poll tax OF % cents on every voter in In
diana. Still, if we may believe the sup
porters of the trust, there is no way of
escaping this grievous burden.
Again, Mr. PARIS figures are not only
delusive but absolutely unreliable. For
example, in his comparison OF trust books
with other books Opp. 30-33) he says that
] 400 pages 6 vols.) of new national
readers retail at S2.65 and wholesale at
Sl.99, while 800 pages Is vols.) of the
American Commonwealth series retail at
$3.50 and wholesale at $500. In fact, as
any one may see by consulting the price
list, the latter retail at 1915; they whole
sale at 40 per cent. of, or 1925. The more
important difference, however, is in the
market An ordinary school book used
throughout Indiana, at the lowest esti-
mate, making allowance for use of old
books and for non-attendance of school,
children, would have a sale Of 100000 vol
umes. One of VAN ANTWERP, BRAGG &
Co.'S books would have sale of $4,000
volumes. Estimating such book at the
low average Of 30 cents retail, the total
sale would be $4,000, and according to