The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-01-09
THAT BOOK TRUST Scare
The Other Side Of Representative
Lytle's ShOrt-Lived Sensation.
SOME FIGURES IN REBUTTAL
Representative Of the Trust Deny That
Under the Farr Free Text Book Law
the Commonwealth Is Being
Mulcted-Other Views.
Special TO the Scranton Tribune.

Special to the scranton tribune.
Harrisburg, Jan. S.-The sensational
accusation in a Pittsburg newspaper
that under the operation of the Farr
free text book law the American Book
company had been over-charging its
patrons throughout the state to an
extent which might be represented by
$1,000, 900 has aroused widespread in
terest here and elected spirited denials
from representatives of the so-called
trust. The change was made in the
form Of an interview with Representa-
tive Lytle, whose jealousy of Mr.. Farr,
the author of the free text book bill,
has become proverbial in the house. Mr..
Lytle asserted, among other things,
that text books cost the trust from
8 to cents, whereas the listed price
was all the way from 30 cents to sloo
each. He also expressed purpose OF
introducing a bill to have the state COM
pile. print and sell its own books at
cost.
One of the representatives OF the
American Book company said to The
Tribune representative today: T
As far as the American Book company,
what they call the Book Trust. but Which
is not trust, is concerned, they furnish
their books to all the school boards OF the
state at exactly the same price. There
are no exceptions. There has been very
strong competition throughout the entire
state since the enactment of the free text
book law There are fifty or sixty school
book publishing concerns in the country,
nearly all of which have been after busi-
ness in this state. The school boards OF
PENNSYLVANIA buy their books at the very
lowest prices they are bought Tor any
where in the United States. That Is abso-
lutely true There is no discrimination
between boards. There are few boards
in the state that do not buy books direct
from the publishers. but through the job
bers. In such cases an advanced price
was paid, for, of course, the jobbers had
to have their profits. This may have af-
fected some of the places mentioned, but
/ cannot say, as / don't positively know
The prices from some of the places men-
toned are not correct. There is not a
school geography published in the United
States which sells for $l.50 We sell the
Carnegie ,school board Harper's geog-
raphy for $l.OS, with discount of 20 per
cent The book used in Pittsburg Is the
electric edition of Harpers, not the same
as Carnegie uses, and the cost is lower.
No arithmetic in the country sells for 80
ture, / am not posted. / am certain. how
ever, that Representative Lytle's figures
are too low / don't believe book can be
bound for cents, from what little l 10
know of 1t. And | am certain that Penn
sylyania is not being overcharged for her
school books.
LytIc's Story Not Credited.
While there may be occasional deals
in the purchase of school supplies un-
der the Farr law, the opinion of those
who were sounded today upon this sub
ject seemed to be very uniformly that
Nr. Lytle has been a victim of his own
active imagination. His arraignment
OF the free text book law, as law. is
not shared either by Superintendent of
Public Instruction Schaeffer, who has
officially commended it in the highest
terms, or by Deputy Secretary Stewart,
who remarked this morning:
The act gives general satisfaction and I
do not believe the people of the state will
soon discard 1t for another system. Al
the county superintendent in the state
save one express satisfaction with ;he
operations of the law and agree that it
has been a great boon to the public school
system. These officials voice the senii-
travelling over their respective districts
and come in touch with the masses.
AS voicing the sentiment of major
ity of members seen today, the follow
ing editorial expression by the paper
which gave currency to the original
arraignment Is not without interest.
That paper editorlally demands an in
vestigation, but Immediately adds:
Pending that examination, however, It
will not be wise to leap too quickly 10
projects for having the state turn out the
books Representative Lytle's proposition
for a uniform set of text books, to be pre-
scribed or selected by a state commission.
II made elastic enough to permit of the
purchase by the state Of the whole array
of books, would be put in the direction of
economy, except that 1t might turn n
large share, II not all, of the expenditure
for books during the past year into a
dead loss. But the project for the print
ing of books by the state Is one to be re-
garded with difildence. State-printed pub
licatons are notoriously costly. 1t is very
much TO be doubted, If even a school-book
trust would have the self-possession to
make school books cost quite as much as
o well organized political state printing
concern could.
The committee of the house will be
announced tomorrow evening by Speak
er Walton. The principal chairman
ships will probably be as follows: Ju-
dietary, General Niles, of Tioga; ways
and means, Ritter, of Philadelphia
manufacturers, Cochran, of Arm
strong; insurance, Kunkel, of Dauphin
appropriations Marshall, of Allegheny;
agriculture, Moore, of Bradford; con-
gressional apportionment, Lawrence
of Washington; corporations, Fletcher
of Philadelphia; judiciary, Local Bliss
of Delaware; street railways, Keyser
of Philadelphia. Bills will be read in
place tomorrow night.