The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-07-19
THE sCHooL-BoOK TRUST.
A Large Number of Travelling Statesmen I
Be Turned Adrift.

BE Turned Adrift.
New York Times.
The trend of the times in the direction of
trusts is indicated by acombination recent
~ entered into by the schOol-bo publish
lighthouses of the country, having for its
object the control of the production Of edu-
eational works, the doing away with CON-
petition in their introduction. the division
of the field of distribution, and the reduc-
ton of expense in securing the ADOPTION Of
standard publications by local school
boards. The agreement. according to the
understanding of the publishers, was to go
into effect on July Is, and from that day,
accordingly, the scho0l-book trade will be
subjected to cast-iron rules and regulations
from which there can be no depression on
the part of the contracting parties.
Henceforth the sale aud distribution of
the producing centers-the publishing
houses themselves. The army of local
agents and travelling statesmen will be dis
pensed with, and the salaries OF those here
tOfore useful and Indispensable servants
and employees will 20 to swell the profits of
the capitalists who constitute the trust:
The combination between the principal
schOOl-boOk houses is not the result OF a
sudden impulse. For long time past q
istence, composed of majority of the
chief publishing houses in the country.
At the head of the syndicate was the
powerful firm of Van Antwerp, Bragg
associated Clark. Maynard q CO.. of
that city, COwperth waite ~ Co., Porter
q Coates and Z. II. Butler & Co. of Phila-
delphia. and ID. Appleton ~ Co., lvlson,
posed to the syndicate from the outset was
tbs firm of Harper 81 Brothers and the j.
b. Lippincott Company and the Christopher
Denver Company of Philadelphia. Between
Brothers certain agreements existed which
precluded the parties thereto from seriously
conflicting with one another. In anticipa-
ton of the termination of this private
agreement it is stated that in May. last the
Messrs. Harper proposed to the chief syndi.
cate firm that the established system of
travelling statesmen and agents for the sale
of school books should be abolished, and
from this suggestion there ensued meet
ing of all the school-book publishing firms.
irrespective of syndicate connections, of
which the present combination or trust
was the outcome.
The immediate effect of the agreement
will be the decreasing OF the expenses of
the firms acceding thereto. Harper. g.
Brothers are reported as having refused to
subscribe to the combination construct,
urging that their word was as good as their
bond, and promising SOlemnly to live up to
the provisions of the agreement. with which
assurance the other members of the trust
expressed themselves as being fully salts
! fed. By the operation of the agreement
every house which I,c is party thereto will wi
aries ranging from 81, 800 TO $500 to from
fifteen to fifty agents and statesmen which
each had in its employ, together with their
| travelling expenses, which were uncommon
ly heavy. While all the syndicate houses
| sold books at the same price, they were
| compelled to meet the reduction in rates
made by their competitors and this conces-
sion. coupled with the enormous expense
of maintaining an army OF agents and trav-
| cling statesmen, resulted in a material con-
| traction of profits.
IF the new arrangement will stand"
| leading representative of a schOOl-bOOk
publishing.house is quoted as saying, 1T
will be a big thing. Corruption was re-
| sponsiDle for the selection of books inmany
| schools. Statesmen and agents had it all
| their own way. They travelled through
| the country visiting members of different
school boards, and if they had the consent
| of the home office. could bride the school
| bOard-if it could be bribed-and gain
| profitable customer, even If their books
were not the best. The new system will
save thousands of dollars to the publish
| ers"
| Amember of the firm of ID. Appleton &
| Co., said that the charge that corruption
was responsible for the introduction of
school-books was gratuitous and wholly
| unfounded assumption. The agreement
between the schoOl-book publishing houses.
| this gentleman continued, was an old story.
| a Chestnut" as he termed it, For long
time it had been apparent that something
PRODUCTION and control the distribution and
production of schoOl-books. But it was
| mistake to assert that schoOl-bOok trust
| had been formed. The publishers had SIM
ply combined for mutual protection and in
| order to restrict ruinous competition. They
had, in fact, merely entered into plain, COM
nonsense business agreement, which had
| been delayed altogether too long, and that
| was all there was to it. The firms noted as
| having entered into the combination were
| correctly named, and the facts leading up
| to, and being the cause of the new order of
| affairs, were correctly stated. So far as
| school books were concerned, the repre-
| sentative of the Messrs. Appleton added,
| the publishing-hOuses hereafter would dis
pense with the services of travelling sales
| men and agents. But this understanding
would not preclude any firm in the COM
bination from sending out travellers to dis
pose of miscellaneous works published by
| them. The enforcement of the agreement
| would have the effect of ending the war
fare between the syndicate and the several
| publishing houses opposed to it, and, while
| this result would rebound directly to the
| benefit of the publishers, it would also in
| directly prove of benefit to the general pub
| lie, which would be offered a wider choice
of school-books at cheaper rates than here
| tofOre.