The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-05-03
TONS OF BOOKS.
How MIR. COburn Distributes
His Big Biennial.
Sent Only to Persons Who Want
Them.
POSTAGE FORTY CENTS
Cost Under New System Is
Seventy-five Cents Each.
People in State Need Not Pay
Postage on Volume.

| Fifty tons of solid reading matter il
being showed out of the state print
cry as rapidly as possible in the
form of biennial reports of the state
board of agriculture.
This steady procession of books
each one as big as a small dictionary,
| marches across the state house
grounds, and comes crowding into the
office of F. d. Coburn, secretary OF
the state board of agriculture. Co.
burn is undaunted by the attack.
Get out" he says, I'VE don't want
you herei"
And with well arranged speed, each
book is dressed in a white overcoat
composed Of three layers of heavy
manila paper, decorated with a tag
here and a label there, and marched
out at the other door of the office,
where the mail van or the express
wagon waits to scatter the inva ding
columns of agricultural knowledge
from Athabasca to Afghanistan, and
from GAINESVILLE to Zululand
Mailing the biennial" has been re-
duced to a science at the office of the
state board of agriculture. Every
book is sent to some one who wants
it, and a record of it's destination is
Kept In the office in a card index.
Said Mr.. Coburn:
DO you see that young man sit
ting there at that case, looking as
though he was asleep? Well, he isn't
asleep. He, is running through those
address cards to see whether John
Jones of SquashviIle, who wrote in
this morning for a copy of the report
Is already on our mailing list We
can't anord to send two reports to
one man. Every request that comes
in for report must be looked up"
There is a certain regular mailing
list for the biennial report of the state
board of agriculture. 1t includes the
following:
respondents of the state board who
furnish materials for the crop reports.
This is all the pay these correspond
ents receive for their work.
One copy to each of the prominent
libraries in the United States and
foreign countries.
One copy to each newspaper in the
state of Kansas.
One copy to each of the leading
agricultural journals of the United
States and foreign countries.
One copy to each county clerk. and
one copy to each of the township
trustees of Kansas. This takes nearly
5000 books.
Forty copies to each member of the
Kansas house of representatives, if he
requests them. This means 5000
books.
Sixty copies to each member of the
Kansas senate. This takes 2,4OO
books.
Besides this, there is an extensive
mailing list of the thousands who
write in and request that they be sent
a copy of the report.
What 1t Costs to Send Out the Books.
Each biennial report now being
sent out is 1896 pages in extent. and.
each copy weighs five pounds. Twenty
thousand copies are printed in all.
About 10000 are already off the press.
Under the old system of state print
ing by contract. it would have cost
the state about $4,000 to issue this
book. or $1.40 per copy.
Under the prevailing system of state
1t is thought that the cost
will not exceed 10 cents per volume. |
This is first biennial report on agricuI- |
ture to be printed under the state own
ership of the printing plant and is far
the biggest single job which the state |
has to do in the printing line
Two years ago. it cost the state $2o.-
91870 to print this report under the con- |
tract system, and the report had LOO |
pages instead of 1886 pages.
In addition to the cost of printing there |
Is the cost of mailing. The postage on |
each volume is 40 cents. If the entire |
edition was sent out in this way, it |
would cost $4,000 for postage alone. Mr.. |
Coburn said to the last legisla ture |
Give me $4,000 for mailing, and will |