The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1913-02-04
VOLUME X NO. 81.
SCHOOL BOOKS.

Among the bills before the legisla-
ture is one proposing a uniform system
@of school books in North Dakota. In
g@an interview in another part Of The
Forum this evening, W. l.. Stockwell,
formerly state superintendent of pub
Tlic instruction, makes some adverse
comment on this bill. He hints that
sthere is ar influence behind the meas
cure that has an Interior motive.
The school book question, is one
about which there has been a lot Of
talk in the past. 1t has often been
openly charged that there is a school
book trust ana that exorbitant prices
are charged for such publications. 1t
is matter which should be handled
with extreme care and there should be
"a thorough understanding Of the whole
situation before any law is passed.
The Grand Forks Times has a very
timely discussion Of this problem, in
which it says in part:
1t is not the purpose Of this article
to discuss the merits or demerits of
either Of the bills now before the legis-
lature, but rather to call attention to
Inv eau hAAdhI pINSCS lltul ~ CtitI ecu
'~for.School books because of the abso-
lutte control which a few companies
have over the entire business. The re-
taileFs are helpless. They must pay the
prices which are charged them, and
do the best they can with what they
set. But the school book business has
been a gold mine to a few publishers
and many of the prices which they
have charged ave been and are out
.rageous. In a magazine article a few
months ago a writer compared school
book prices in his own state-New
York, as it is now recalled-and the
Canadian province of Ontario. The
article is not at hand and the figures
which 1t gave cannot be quoted. u
the comparisons made were startling.
One particular case is recalled. An
elementary book was sold, according
to the writer, in his own state, for
IS cents. Across the line a similar
book was sold for 4 cents, and the low
'er priced book was described as being
quite equal in character of contents, IN
arrangement, in illustrations, in paper,
type, binding and all its mechanical
features, to the book that sold for a
quarter. And the statement was made
that the 4 cent book was sold at a
profit. Other instances, not quite so
striking as this, but striking enough,
were given.
Compare the cost of a school book
with a novel of the same mechanical
and typographical quality. Note that
the price of the school book is Of
about the same range as that of the
novel while the latter yet has the ben
eft of the copyright, although, when
the copyright expires the cost is cut
to .one-half or one-third of the form
err price, and there is still a good
profit, for publishing houses are glad
to produce and sell the books at the
lower price. Then take note of the
fact that of the novels published not
one in a thousand has a sale lasting
more than a few months or even
weeks. while the field of the school
ook covers the nation, and it is sold
by the hundred thousand. This COM
parison applies to the larger and more
advanced books. In books for the
lower grades the same situation exists,
pnly in a still more aggravated degree.
All that is needed to convince one of
the correctness of the statement is a
visit to any book store and a compari-
son of the prices of school books for
the lower grades with prices for gen
eral books of similar quality. 1t is not.
the fault of the dealer. Some book
publisher is pocketing the exorbitant
profit.