Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-18
SCHOOLBOOK TRUST
HOLDS PEOPLE IN
RELENTLESS GRASP
THOUSANDS PAY TRIBUTE TO GRAFT
All Over Los Angeles Parents Are Irate About Man.
ner In Which They Are Being Squeezed
Last Years Grammars and AritE-
metics Are Now Useless

are willing to state that they are un-
able to purchase them.
Change In Law Urged
1--WE use these supplementary read
ers because of their value In promct-
ing the education of beginners" said
Superintendent Moore.
The superintendent refrained from
crtlclzing the state board of educa-
tlon for not supplying proper educa-
tional matter and making It unneces-
sary for local boards to resort to sup
Elementary works. but he left 1t to be
inferred that a change in the present
laws Is very desirable.
Assistant superintendent Monlux de-
clared that a systematic effort should be
made during the coming session of the
legislature to remedy an evil which
he did not deny Is becoming intoler-
able.
Rush to Buy Books
Everywhere along the streets and in
the book stores hundreds of school
children and their parents were busy
investing in u supply of Intellectual
ammunition for the fall term of school.
And wherever a group of buyers were
congregated a loud, insistent protest
arose over the seemingly needless
III Inc SCHOOl DOOKS, OealPTS
all over the city had to listen to the
complaint of irate parents till their
heads ached. And, as one of them said
the people could not be blamed for
their just Indignation.
At FOwlers' book store two dozen
bright-faced high school pupils had
been employed to handle the crowds
Here books that could be sold again
or could be returned to eastern dealers
H.,
have been dropped from the course are
not available to the bookmen, and are
a dead loss to their owners. The same
rule for exchanging books held good at
all the book stores.
Big Force Kept Busy
Jones' force of thirty clerks was kept
busy all day serving the crowds that
thronged their store, and many were
the complaints their salespeople were
compelled to hear from people who
didn't like the changes.
Hamburger's sale was held in the
basement, and from 9 o'clock till clos
ing time all the clerks, cash girls, and
even proprietors, were pressed into
service to accommodate the hundreds
who crowded around their counters.
The Broadway stores annex pre-
sented the same scenes. At the de-
for complaints. No books are ex-
changed, and if one stops to offer an
objection, he loses his turn to be served
and stands the chance of waiting an
other fifteen minutes.
GARDENERS reported the same amount
of Kicking as the other stores. In
deed, no place seemed to be exempt
from the complaints Of graft.
Bookseller Complains
At Holmes Seventh street store the
proprietor himself took casiOn toI
crticise the present prices of books.
Picking up music book he said
There is a. book that retails at thirty
cents A cut costing about $500 must
be made for each page, and in spite of
the good work that is put into the
book, the makers, a private concern,
can sell it for thirty cents. This book"
picking up a state grammar, lis not
made up so well, the setting up of the
book costs less but the makers charge
fifty-five cents for it, when they could
well afford to sell it for twenty-and
still make money. On this book we
make 5 per cent profit" and he pre-
duced his bill. I'VE handle these new
books as an accommodation to GUS
toners, the same as postage stamp
or change for az dollar" In reply to a
customers question, What made them
change the books again" he replied,
Graft, graft, graft"
The proud youth who has been pro-
noted to the big Biography has toI
mulct his fond parent for $1.20, while
his brother who has reached the ''his-
tory stage comes to mamma for
ninety-five cents. So it is all through
the list. In the high school the prices
of books are even higher. The learned
youth who seeks to improve his mind
by studying the classics has to pay
$1.75 for a single book. And small
wonder that an energetic complaint is
arising on all sides, and the people are
asking for light on the free book ques-
tion.