The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-02-03
SCHOOL BOOKS.

books is attracting a good deal of at
,ention in this state lust now, and bills
or the inauguration of a uniform
system are warmly advocated and
strenuously opposed ny members Of
the opposing groups who have taken
an active part in the discussion. The
advocates of the system maintain that
1t will be OF greater convenience in the
arrangement of work for the schools
in that courses of study can tic mapped
out with greater regularity; tina; chill
dren moving from ono district to an
oAher would not need to change books.
and there would thus be a l~esscning Of
expense in such cases: and that books
could he supplied at a lower cost gem
orally than is now the case.
Opponents of the change say that
ii would deprive school boards of the
discretion which every school board
ought to have and exercise ovcr the
selection Of tho books 20 be studied;
that the ~lcssening of expense in the
case of removals from one district to
another is an insignificant matter. and
not to be considered: that il would
he Impossible to secure a board that
could make proper selections of books
Ia fit the varying needs of an entire
state: that q higher standard will be
maintained if the selections arc made
subject 10 the inspection of boards all
over the state than if left to one board,
and. according to some critics. the
proposed plan is in the interest of a
school book trust, which is already a
sisantic and grinding monopoly.
II is not the purpose of this article
10 discuss the merits or dement's of
either of the ills now before the legis-
laturc, but rather to call attention to
tho "xorbitant prices that are charged
for school books because of the abso-
luta control which a few companies
have owe the entire business. The re-
tailcrs ar helpless. They must pay the
prices which are charged them. and
do tn" best they can with what they
SCI. l;ut the school book business has
hHan q gold mine to a few publishers
an! many of the prices which they
iaaNe charged have been and are out
.ra@e"Gs. In a magazine article a few
ago a writer compared school
hook prices in his own state-New
YORK. as ii is now recalled-.nd the
Canadian province of ontario. The
article is not AZ hand. and the figures
which it gave ann he quoted, but
the comparisons made were startling.
ON" particular case is recalled. An
elementary book was sold, according
i" the writer. in his own state. for
'"enty-1vc cents. Across tho line a
similar book was sold for four cents,
and the lower priced book was de-
scrihed as being quite equal in char
arter of contents, in arrangement. in
illustrations. in paper. type. binding
and all its mechanical features, to- the
hook that sold at a quarter. And the
statement was made that the four cent
book was sold at a profit. Other in
stances, not quite 50 striking as this,
but striking enough. We're given.
Compare the cost of q 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 tho 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 for.
mer price, and there is still a good
profit. for publishing houses arc glad
to produce and sell the books at the
lower price. Then take note of the
fact that Of the novels published not
n in a thousand has a sale lastins
more than a few months or even
weeks, while the field Of the school
book covers the nation. and it ia sold
by the hundred thousand. This com.
parison applies to the larger and more
advanced hooks. In books for the
lower grades the same situation exists
only in a still more aggravated degree
All that is needed to convince one OF
the correctness Of the statement is q
visit to any book store and a compari.
son OF the prices of school books TO,
the lower grades with prices for gen.
eral books Of similar quality. 1t is no,
the fault of the dealer. Some boob
publisher is pocketing the exorbitan,
profit.
Tho methods employed in sellin,
school books have been among tn,
most scandalous known in the histor,
of combinations between business and
politics. Agents Of publishing house,
have toured the country equipped witt
every device known to the crooked
contractor for influencing the ap
preaching public official. Wine sun
pcrs. rolls Of bills, expensive gifts, ant
occasional cases Of blackmail hav,
all figured in the business of gettin,
school books adopted" Some sucl
scandals have got into court, but vast
ly more Of them have not. 1t is no
intended to charge that any particula
publishing house has authorized 1t
agents to make use Of such methods
for on that subject We have no infor
nation. But such tactics have bee
employed quite frequently. IL not gen
orally. and the purpose in ~referrin
to the fact is to show that the bushes.
as it has been conducted and CONTROL
ed. has been profitable enough to sup
ply to agents, If not to their employ
800 "'-"~ q . s''. - '>'> "'-E- -"' "-'"-. H~"-s~ 80" s. .s' "-