The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1917-02-06
WALKER RULES ON
YEONAN'S BOOK Law
AUTHOR OF MEASURE ISSUES
STATEMENT IN WHICH HE
CHARGES BOOK TRUST.

Attorney General Clifford Walker
has rendered an opinion in the new
school book law of which Reuresen-
stative M. J. Yeomans of Terrell is
the author. He holds that the act
means that any publisher who de-
sires to sell school books in Georgia
must quote prices not higher than
those quoted in other states, regard
less whether the prices quoted else
where are prices being quoted there
for new contracts this year of wheth-
er under contracts made in former
years and still in effect.
The question was submitted to the
attorney general by the state board
of education at its last quarterly
meeting. 1t was stated that some
of the publishers who have formerly
sold schools books in Georgia are
DESTROYS of submitting a price list to
the board, in accordance with the
Yeomans act, providing the act does
not mean that these publishers shall
quote prices not lower than prices
prevailing elsewhere under contracts
made some years ago. Those COM
panies state that under some of their
old contracts which were made be-
fore the rise in the cost of print pa
per, they are compelled to sell books
at such low figpres that it is actually
costing them money.
Raps Books Publishers.
In a statement given to the press
covering the present situation con-
corning school books Mr.. Yeomans
says in part:
''For twenty-five years the school
book concerns, sometimes referred to
as "the school book trust" have been
riding the people of Georgia and sell
ing them school books at much high
er prices than the people of Ohio,
Michigan and other states have been
paying for the same books with the
same texts, indentical illustrations
and equal in all respects. The differ
ence against the Georgia buyers of
books has varied, but as a rule it
has averaged about 25 per cent. 1t
is not definitely known how much
money Georgia spends per year for
books, but there can be no question
but that during the last fifteen years
the people of this state have paid
at least 100000 per year more for
their books in proportion to the num-
Der used than have the people of
Ohio, Michigan and other states, and
if this be true the book concerns
have collected million and half
dollars more out of Georgia than
out of Michigan and Ohio for the
same books. A careful study and
comparison of the laws and prices
prevailing in Georgia and in other
states fully demonstrates this.
Under this law quite a number of
publishers attempted to qualify.
Some of them followed the letter and
spirit of the law and made their aft
davits; gave their bonds and followed
the lowest prices made elsewhere and
are qualified to do business in this
state. Others attempted to evade the
law and furnished to the state school
superintendent a schedule of prices
higher than the same books are. now
being sold in Michigan, Ohio and
elsewhere in the United States.
In the very teeth of both the let
ter and the spirit of the law it is
a distinct surprise to find that any
publisher has undertaken to resort to
such tactics, and I feel quite sure
that they will not be permitted to do
business in this state unless they
comply with the law in all its details
and give to the children of Georgia
the benefit of the prices they are now
giving to the children of Ohio and
Michigan"
Hornady is still selling his shoe