The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-02-01
VA. BOOK COMPANY
AGAIN Under fire
Holds That Publishers Have Vic
lated Contract-Virginia Book
Company an Instrument.
Profits CT Local Dealers Cut.
No Open Market.

r c H NJ IN d, vA.-Special.-
That the Virginia Book Company is
the instrument of the book publish
ers and is trust pure and simple, and
that suit against every publisher in
dividually should be brought without
delay was the opinion Of Attorney
General Williams, rendered this morn
ing before the special House commit
tee appointed by Speaker Byrd. on
motion of Delegate S. II. Love. of
Lunenburg, to investigate school
book conditions in Virginia.
1t is probable that the committee
in its report, expected tomorrow, will
recommend that the Attorney Gen
eral be directed to institute the suits
without delay.
The Virginia Book Company is
nothing but a trust" declared Attor-
ney General Williams, in making his
statement. ut is trust of the book
publishers; not of the State Board of
Education. The board has nothing to
do with it. and it should not be toll
Grated by the Legislature.
The publishers agreed by con-
tract to keep books on sale at
convenient places. The publish
ers have violated the contract.
There Is no law authorizing
the publishers to create the Vir-
ginia Book Company to act as
their agent.
~ think the suits should be
brought at once. For the sake of
convenience 1 would suggest that
the suits be brought before the
Circuit Court of the city of Rich
mOnd."
Give Cities and Counties Power.
Suggesting better and cheaper
methods of purchasing books the At.
tOrney General. who had evidently
given the matter great deal OF
earnest thought, said:
Virginia cities and counties should
have their own purchasing agents. a.
in many other States. i believe in q
restricted list. This list should bt
drawn up by the State Board of Edu.
cation, and delivered to the local au.
thorities. These local authorize.
could then. through their representa-.
tives, go into the open market and
buy their books.
There would, of course, be loca
distribution. That would save, / an
informed, 20 per cent. of the tota
| cost. as the publishers allow thai
amount to cover distribution expenses
Counties and cities desiring to fur.
| nish free books to their children could
| do so. Those that preferred to sci
J them could do so. The State would
I save thousands Of dollars a year, anC
we would have better books and more
OF lnSIn.
The Attorney General gave a de
| tailed account of the recent contro
versy with the publishers and told
how he had tried without success L
beat down the prices. He found tn,
prices standardized. he said, and un
| derstood that by reason of thes
standardized" prices. Virginia wa
compelled to pay more for it's book
than many other States. In some in
stances, he said, he understood tina
prices were 100 per cent. higher il
Virginia.
Besides that of Attorney Genera
Williams, testimony was given b,
Frank Schofield, secretary and treas
urer Of Hunter & Co., of this city
and Senator w. d. Blanks, of Neck
ienburg county.
Manager Hugh Stockdell, OF tn
Virginia Book Company, was presen
! and asked numerous questions Of tn,
witnesses.
Considerable merriment was caused
when the Attorney General was cross
examined BY Mr.. Stockdell. The