The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-02-06
MORNING SESSION.
Library Officials and Book
Dealers First to Testify.

Dealers First to Testify.
II VAS 1855 o'clock when the com
mlt,co Was called TO order, and Mr..
w, G., Terrence the photographer of
the Library, WAS the first witness.
he testified us to the alleged offer hy
some publishing house TO Mr.. Kennedy,
nskins the latter 10 write a history OF
Virginia MIR, Terrence corroborated the
testimony OF Mcssrs. Evans, Bcrkeley,
and others, OH this point. aud saiu M
Kennedy had told him tllat he had an
Offer 10 write the proposed history OF
Virginia. and that IL was maue' W u
Northern concern.
MIR. Il, &. Berkeley, chief OF Tue CT 7
vision OF travelling libraries, testified,
and he said lie hud called attention TO
oycrcharecs on certnn books bought
from G.. =. Putnam & CO., and had DC
clned 10 accedc TO Mr, Nennedy's re-
dues, to recommend the payment OF the
bill In question.
Mr.. C. Y. Meredith, member OF the
library board, and librarian Kennedy.
briefly questioned the witness when
Chairn,an Byrd had finished with him
ana Mr.. STROBE, Of tho committee, also
asked him Il few questions
Higher Than Retail Prices.
Nessrs. Berkeley and Kennedy got
into a brief running colloquy as 10 the
alleged oScicharecs i'll the hlii. IL WAS
finally agreed that there We're over
charges: that Mr.. Berkeley had called
attention 10 them. and that Mr.. ken.
ncdy had satisfactorily e&paiheu inc
matter TO the board
Witness had discovered that Phtnalli
was charging MI Kennedy more for GER
tain books than they could be bought
n, retail in Richmond, and he put all
lie circumstances together and con-
cluded that there were probably over
charges on the entire list. At this point
the witness had brought in u large nun
Der OF books, by which he undertook ~
bear out his contentious as to over
charges
..Jack Archer he sad. o,le was
bourht from putnam at 81 cents The
other was bought over the counter in.
Richmond at retail for 80 cents. They
arc Identical. you will See he said, as
he handed the books UP.
Mr.. Berkeley admitted that Mf Jo-
seph =. EgElesion. Jr., purchased one OF
the books The other was in the library
at e. cents. lie had himself purchased
third which was Identical. and PAD
50 cents for 1t al the store Of Hunter
Co. He said q 'lIiawntha Primer had
been put on at IS cents, when one nS
good for library purposes could have
been got for 10 cents Witness
thought this was paying unnecessarily
high prices for these books
'.Whv did you not call the attention Of
the board TO your objections as to the
prices on travelling library books asked
Chairman Byrd.
Il had objected in q former case, aud
nv objections did not seem to amount
10 much, 50 saw no use in renewing
them"
Continuing. he criticized the sl,s7 edi-
ton of Snow Bound,n and said II was
too delicateiy got up 10 he handled
by children Books could have been got
for nlucl Less money for this purpose
AIR Berkeley. DO You mean 10 say
entitled 10 illustrated books Z" asked MI.
Kennedy
.,No sir. ! do not mean 70 say so. Ny
q point is thar this book is handsomely got
IN and was made to sell as Christ
mas gift, rather than to be used in traY-
cling libraries"
Sharp Talk.
The librarian and Mr. Berkeley got
into another brief wransle regarding the
relative. value OF books. ana at one time
the former said sharply:
please answer my question: Mr.. Ferke.
ley. Don't You know that books Of TINS
class are used by parents and teachers III
order to Illustrate stories TO the children,
and not roughly handled as you say by
the children?''
no, sir; do not agree with you at
4 all on this point. believe the books are
used By the children"
Mr.. Meredith took the witness again
1,., ,l,aj "a RIy IliS3
to the line OF questioning by the at
torney but no finally proceeded and fol-
lowed III. the line laid down by Mr..
Y Kennedy. -
MI. Meredltl. wjshad 10 have The wit
s ness go over the entire list OF l,TT5 vol
umes and pick out every book upon which
he claims there have been ovcrchargGs.
.l'lsat would 40 me u serious injustice,
Mr., Chairman. Mi. Berkeley was say
ing With some show Of feeling, when
s Chairman Byrd raped and said: lone
moment. Sit down, Mr. Berkeley
Chairman Byrd thought this would be
an impossibilty, and he observed that
Il Mr.. Meredith should be fair 10 the Wit
: ness.
Il am going 10 be IS fair as j can"
rctorted Mr. Meredith. "but If thcsJ
charges made here by this witness car
be sustained, want to know It. If liz
Z can't sustain them, ! want to know It.
hut submit that when he gets on this
stand and says that there were over
charges on as many as hundred books
he should DO required 10 nume every onf
81 OF them
Mter some further parryina over thc
matter, il was agreed that Mr. Berke
Icy should get the Information as full,
as possible and submit it later on.
Mr, Kennedy was pressing the witness
70 know WHY he had not submitted to III,
board 'he second objection he found II
prices, ana Chairman Byrd did not thini
this Was a proper line. .But want {,
develop this point" said AIR. Kennedy,
Oh. we'll, 80 on; but time Is one thin,
n and eternity is quite another" said Air
II Byrd.
But We are 70 lave all the time ",
want, rejoiped the librarian.
Mr. Terrence VAS recalled and adm,tc,
that he had not said that Mr.. konncd,
had told him il was Northern hous
.s8 that wanted the history written
Mr., Bells Statement.
Mr.. II, @. Bell Of the Bel Book an,
Stationery Company, was recalled mn
testified again rs 70 tho alleged digcrcu
ances between tho prices OF books hough
by Mr. Kennedy ana those that could nay
& been gotten elsewhere, SIR, Bcl spl,
IL A,.tt. yA.f &. 4 E1....y