Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-06-10
WAS A CLAUSE
IN THE CONTRACT


10 lUt i4illOI vi tue AN'Not
In my former article gave the re-
tail prices Of the Franklin readers In
Missouri and Utah, showing that the
set Of FIVE books costs the school chill
dren Of Utah just $l.0i more than the
same set costs the school children Of
Missouri.
IN answer TO this fact, have been
met by the erroneous statement that
was refuted in the first article namely,
that our dealers charge greater COM
mission for handling the books than
do the dealers in Missouri and other
states, ! showed before that this was
totally untrue, but since my former
demonstra ton has been dsregarded by
some, ] give herewith another and per-
haps a more con elusive disproof OF
this accusation against our local deal
ers.
My first article, for example, showed
that the New Franklin Third reader
sells In Utah for 50 cents and In Mis-
souri, for 30 cents, the Utah price being
an advance Of Sc rs per cent above the
Missouri price. That this advance Ia
In no way due to the commission
charged by Utah merchants, Is very
clear when we consider the mailing
price Of this book to the Missouri pur-
chaser and to the Utah purchaser
The mailing price Of the New Frank
lin Third Reader, the Identical cloth
bound book In each case, TO any one
IN Missouri Is 81 cents; TO any one in
Utah, 80 cents. AS every one knows
that the cost Of mailing is the same no
matter where the book Is sent any
where within the United states. It Is
mere folly to claim that this difference
Of about 50 per cent in the re-
speotlye mailing prices Of the same
book can be due to anything but dis
crlmipation BY the book company
against the people OF this state.
But | am told that the book conven-
ton Is about 10 correct all this for
the future, by putting a clause into
the contracts with the book companies
whereby the latter shall agree to give
Utah the benefit Of any reduction In
price that may be made on any OF the
books adopted, In any OF the states.
Poor dear innocent members Of the
book convention, IL this Is what they
are now driving att That clause has
been In every contract with every book
company whose books have been adopt-
ed and used during the past ten and
perhaps fifteen years. II has been
feature Of former CON
tracts, always readily inserted by the
Old book companies Here Is the clause
Of the contract Of June 2S, 1897. be-
IWeen state Superintendent John r.
PARK and the various publishers whose
BOOKS were adopted at that time
SAID party Of the second part further
igrees that all dealers, school officers
eachers,and others shall have the bene.
II OF any and all reductions I'm prices
N the aforesaid books that NAV occur
turing the term OF said adoption. said
'eduction in price, however, is only 10
.pply TO books ordered after such re-
iuction In price is made"
rms mas been the contract during the
asst I'VE Years, Why has IL not been
.niorcedY Who could enforce M
Where Is the penalty? The whole thing
vas and Is a nullity: and so viii any
uoh clause be, TO which the book pub.
ishers that are robbing this state. can
'e Induced 10 agree.
II has already been shown in the
olumns OF the News" that the peonle
II Utah have been paying exorbitant
Drices for the books used by their chill.
iren In the public schools.
During his school course the complete
et or books for each child In Utah.
at least, set OF readars
lrithmetics, Biographies, history. and
speller, besides some minor books
The set above named. emitting any
mention OF the minor books. costs In
his state 800, to each child sunnliea
With these books.
In Missouri. however, a set Of the
anne DOCKS, IN most cases the Identical
looks and In the other cases. books
ust as good as those we use, costs only |
5.H. In Indiana, this set costs oniy |
l.i5, and In Kansas only sl.3s The |
'ersons who justify this discrimination |
n favor or these and other states as /
gainst Utah, do so on the ground that |
n Utah our dealers charge excessive |
'rofitsi but II was shown I'm nv lest |
rticle that this accusation against Io- |
al dealers Is wholly without founaa.
ion, and the mailing prices given |
bove completely demolish this clever
lea. '''' ''e'e'
Utah pays for a set Of the school |
oolS named above s2.ee more than |
lissourL 81 IS more than Indiana. and |
S.52 more than Kansas I suppose |
hat $4,000 sets OF these books NAV |
ave been used during the past five
ears. II so Utah has paid sl7G.OOO more
han Kansas has paid for that number
! practically the same books. During
ne next I'VE years, a book contract
imllarly unwise win rob our state of
yer 100000.
rf1tlv ,sat,r-