The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1911-04-20
School Book Trust Seems to
Have a Strangle Hold on
the School Children
WILL MAKE AN INVESTIGATION
Members Of the Legislature Going
Deeply into the Prices Charged for
Books in This and Other States by
the Various Companies.

Why are the school children of Wis
consin compelled to pay more for school
books than the school children of other
states? Members of the state legisla-
ture are .endeavoring to solve the ques-
ton and it is quite probable that a
committee will be appointed to make
an investigation and report to the leg
islature.
1t has been claimed for several years
that a school book trust controlled Wis
consin and certain other states because
higher prices were charged in Wiscon-
sin and a few other states for the same
Identical books sold in the remaining
states. Parents of children of Wiscon-
sin attending the public schools declare
that they are compelled to pap from
school-book trust for many years and
that they were compelled to pay from
20 to 80 per cent more for school books
than are paid in Iowa, Alabama, In
diana and other states.
Startling revelations regarding the
differences in prices of identical school
books bought in Wisconsin and in
states where "uniform adoption
law is in effect were given Tuesday at
the hearing in the Assembly chamber
on the Mahon bill creating state text
book commission, consisting of the gov
ernor, president of the state university,
state superintendent of public instruc-
ton and two others appointed by the
governor.
Under the terms of the bill the mem.
bers Of the commission receive no pay,
but they are given authority to decide
what books shall be used and to make
contracts with publishers under which
the latter may not allow the books to
be sold for more than stipulated price
at all points in the state.
The statement was made by Assem-
blyman Mahon that the passage of his
bill would save the people of the state
at least 100000 year for each "adop-
ton period" Of five years, and he de-
clared that investigation shows that
Wisconsin pays from 20 to 80 per cent
more for the same school books as are
used in Iowa, Alabama, Indiana and
other states having uniformity law.
Astonishing figures were given at the
hearing by J. 7. Gufin, representing the
Allied Printing Trades council Of Chi
cago, which as a purely educational
matter is backing the bill. Mr.. Gufin
told how he had been making trips to
all parts of the state, buying school
books which are the same as those used
in "uniform adoption" states. Some
of his comparative prices were as fol-
lows:
Frye's Higher Cor GRAMMAR Geog-
raphy-S8 cents in Iowa; $1.25 in Wis
consin.
Milne Standard Arithmetic - 81
cents in Iowa; $10O in wisconsin.
Tarbell's Complete Geography-S
cents in Iowa; $1.00 in Wisconsin.
SO on through a list of several dozen
books.
Mr.. Gufin produced the actual books
which he had purchased, and has gone
even so far as to paste in the covers re-
ceipted bills for the volumes, together
with an affidavit of Identification by an
unbiased witness to the transaction, to
show that the books were identical He
declared that the "book trust has
Wisconsin still in it's clutches, and that
the combines power is so strong that
this state is far behind in the quality
of it's textbooks, because the publish
ers are able, by hook or crook, to keep
obsolete books in use. He explained
the interest of the labor unions in the
measure by saying that "an education
is all that labor can give its children,
and labor wants that education to be
of the best. He denied that the un-
ions are seeking to force the purchase
only of books which bear the union
label.