The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-07-06
DENIES BIC PROFIT
Dean of Kansas Aggie College
Hits at State Texts.
Defends School Book Publish.
ers of the United States.
make ONLY EIGHT Per CENT
Appeals to Civic Bodies to
Take Hand in Game.
Declares American School Chill
dren Must Have Best Books.

Des Moines, Ia, July "a hard
blow at state published text books
was delivered by Dean E. L. Holton
OF the Kansas State Agricultural col
lege in an address before the meeting
OF the National Education association
here today.
In his address Dean Holton defend
ed the publishers of text books
against the charges of profiteering
made against them by politicians and
appealed to the chambers of com
merce of the nation as well as all
civic bodies to take an interest in the
text book question.
Publishers Get Only 8 Per Cent.
There has been a vast amount of
misinformation given out concerning
the profits of publishers of text
books" said Dean Holton. Cheap
John" politicians, office seekers,
friends of the tax payers" friends
of the farmer" and sometimes agents
of competitive publishers have put out
this misinformation.
IT have the statement of high au-
thority on text book publication that
every dollar the publishers of text
books receive for books is distributed
as follows: SO cents is paid out for
illustrating, plating. printing and pa
per: 81 cents for editing, development
and revisions: 81 cents for advertis-
ing. selling and shipping; cents for
profit.
Eight per cent is not a profiteer's
share of the returns. 1t is only
reputable bankers rate of interest.
These same dispensers of misinforma-
ton have emphasized the vast sums Of
money the people pay out for text
books compared with other school ex-
penses.
ION this subject the United States
bureau of education in its bulletin,
Free Text Books and State Uniform
ty.' says. Confidential data have been
obtained by the bureau of education
from forty-three text book publishers
in the United States relative to their
total sales for 1913.
1.-The list of forty-three includes
practically all of the text book pub
fishers in the United States whose
business is more than purely local.
They handle probably SO per cent of
the total text book business. These
publishers submitted figures stating
their total sales of text books for use
in public schools and their total sales
for both public and private schools for
the year 1918.
Cost 1873 Cents Per Child.
1.-The aggregate for public. schools,
elementary and high, amounted to
14.261.76S.25. The total enrolment
in public. elementary and high schools
for the year was approximately
1S.6O9040. Excluding the elementary
school enrolment of California, as
California prints her own elementary
books the number becomes 1S,213,7s6.
Therefore, for each child enrolled in
the public schools in the United States
the total annual sale of text books is
: 1873 cents.
The total expenditure per child
for text books is greater than this
amount by from 10 to l 5 per cent. as
local dealers receive a com emission
on sales fixed in many states by legis-
lation at the per cents given. The
cost of text books is. therefore, but
little more than per cent of the total
cost of maintenance, support and
equipment The sale per child on the
school population basis (5-1S years of
age) is 56.6 cents: the annual per
capita sale of text books on the total
population basis is less than Is
cents
ITO summarize these facts: %.
The average child enrolled in the
public schools of the United States
pays about 90 cents a year for his
text books. (2). Out of every dollar