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Show t T RUTH . ,v- 12 TTi?r $312.07, Callahan; Company, $55.13. BOOKS AND. AUTHORS , , , ' - -- - . : - ; . ; : - , . - nx -- T. ? & Company 6,00. . October, A. "R. Derge &' Company, $127.80; Callahan, $77.39. ..From. the. foregoing, figure? wtfU.be seen that up to' the "present time in the current year, AY R. Derge & Company, have sold' hooks to the -- amount of $1857.35, and two other dealers to the amount of $480.08. There are some half dozen other dealers in the city who seem to have been. shut, out entirely as their names do not appear of record. .. ' has Considerable correspondence comemanated from the Shepard Book pany on the subject of .TBelling books to the public library. This correspondence has assumed an amusing phase, from the fact that the real point at issue is being ignored at one end of the line. September 1 the Shepard Book company. addressed a letter, to the library board. As October 6 arrived without an answer, the following communication was sent to tthe different members o the board: On September 1st, J902, we wrote the following letter tothe hoard of control of the, free public library of this city, which was in words and figures as follows, towit: Board of Control, Free public Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, Sept. 1. 1902. Ladies and Gentlemen; As the patronage of any public library is of benefit to any- book seller by', reason of its recommendation in and of itself, therefore, the Shepard Book company makes you the following proposition: First. It will furnish you any new book in. print at the lowest wholesale price,' charging for oiir trouble nothing. Second. It will furnish you any , second hand book in existence ten per cent, cheaper than they can be purchased elsewhere. The Shepard Book company makes this offer for the reason that it desires the patronage, or a part of it, of your library for the reason given above. Would say, however, that we have the largest stock of books in the city of Salt Lake, and trust that you will consider and accept our yery reasonable offer, and that, at least, we may obtain a part of the. patronage of your library.. We will gladly show any member, or all of your board our stock of books. Trusting that we may hear from you in regard to this offer, we are, Very Truly Yours, - - - r .. . . t rr- ..' same, consideration as lists of new books are not submitted to the from other dealers. Respectfully vv rdealers. ; I have been desirous of fur, ;?ANNIE E..CH APMAN Y - 7 books to the library but have .'.Librarian; L bishing been permitted to do so. Why After carefully noting ihe fdct"thafc nnt: should I submit a list of books? Wh;it the; toanahimoiifi'; offer ;p, furnishing I want is thc list of books needed by books for" hoihihg"'had'-beeskilfully the library. If I can furnish th.,n ignored, the Shepard Book company cheaper, than anybody else I ouht u, ,be allowed to do so. If some other replied in the following language: dealer can furnish them for less tlun Miss Annie E. Chapman, my prices, I am willing he should have Librarian Free Public Library. business. I am going to furnish the Dear' Miss Chapman In; reply to new books the prices, if your letter of October 7; 'would say some other manat wholesale pays a premium i will that our letters of September 1 and Oc- retire from the competition. tober 6, 1902, are very explicit. If you and the other members of your board Ruseell 8age's Reward Siire. will peruse them, yOu cannot fail to unDear old Russell Sage, full of derstand their import. -. land scornful of money, warm of yP:rs First we offer to furnish to the heart brary any new book at exact wholesale bnd open of pocket, and hand book, philanthropic, in all his price. Second , any second ' relations, is in existence 10 per cent cheap 3r than getting the credit for the .compelling anyone else would furnish it. of the elevated road to management Such being the case, we do not care, concessions to its employes. Cu to submit lists.' You r board .knows, or (make own opinion is, and has neen for some should know, what books you' want. We are ready to furnish you' all books jtime, that Mr. Sage will get his reon the terms above named. The propo- gard in the next world. Hartford sition is direct, simple and easily com- jCourant. prehended. If you' want to take adHis Hoodoo Day. " vantage of it, we are ready to carry it Joseph . Bamford, a wealthy silk out to the letter, thereby saving the tax payers of Salt Lake City several manufacturer of Paterson, N. J., was hundred dollars per year. If you are fined $50 the other morning for em-- ; inclined to accept our offer, let us ploying child labor in his factory. By know what books you want and we asof off s his cooling outraged sure you that we will supply them on jWay he went in the afternoon for a the terms named. in his While automobile.. spin going Shepard Book Co. through Montclair he traveled at a 'higher Speed than is allowed by the Speaking of the correspondence, R. ordinances made and provided. A B. Shepard of the Shepard Book comarrested him, policeman and he was fined $20 for being too pany said: I cannot understand why the lists ipeedy.T ceive-th- e ! - . 1 : - 1 11- . broad-minde- d ; . : I - j i j feel-ling- ; ! hard-hearte- d ; I . i THOMAS hOMER; Lessee ancj Manager . OfBniiDiintlbliiMl TtLKMMMK Sait Lake Cmr. Utah. f UA CAPITAL. ST 10OO1O0 . Tte . Shepard Book Company. Since that time we have heard nothing ot it. We would very much iike an answer to our proposition whether you would accept it or not, or give us a chance, if you did oot think our way was the proper one, to enter into competitive business to supply your library with its books, or a part of them at least. We do not know what became of this letter. t was mailed to the librarian; but. know that we never received any. answer to it in any 'shape or form whatever.; We trust that you will consider it, thereby benefiting the library to the amount of several hundred dollars per year; Kindly give the same your attention, and please let us hear from you. Electrical fluid as controlled and arranged for us la a perfect servant. Does everything it is re- -' Qutredtodo. Does It well. The use of well made ..... Ekctrichi Goods - I - '. ' Telephone?. Chandeliers. Etc. : Trusting that we may hear at an early date, we are, Truly Yours,. .Very. ' i of the latest designs by experienced electricians gives to our work that quality which all men of Judgment approve. ' Wiring for Hells, Telephones, Annunoia. tors. Burglar Alarms and Electric Light I . $242.96. March, A. R. Derge & Company, $214 36; Shepard Book company; $24 50. . April, A. R. Derge & Company, $128.53; Callahan, $66; Shepard Book Company , $18.20. May,- A R. Derge & . Company, $180.38; Callahan, $1,20..... A. R. Derge . June, Company $26.51. .. .'7 Callahan; $116.11; $97.91; R. A. &.Cbmpany, Derge July, $15.55. Callahan, August, A, R- Derge ,& Company; I $93.80;ShpardBook $150.02; Callahan, - . .. September, A r R. Derge - Thero is some decidedly ihte resting correspondence being carried on iti connection with ihe free public library, It will be recalled that Truth promised to find out bow it happened that, the firm of A: 11.' ' Derge & Company fur--' nlehed nearly all the .books required for the public library, while the other dealers neyer bad a chance to even see the list of books until after the volumes were' placed on the library shelves. The dealers complained that they were not being fairly treated, and Truth took lip the matter with the sole purpose of arriving at a solution, of the mystery. It became apparent that the Various members of the public library board paid but 'little attention "to the process of buying books. This work was delegated to two 'or three persons who not only selected the books but also purchased them'. That the public library board did' hot order the books on the list submitted to all the dealers for bids, is just as much of a mystery as ever. Although Truth has been industrious, there is nothing in evidence to prove that bids for furnishing books to the library were ever asked for from the local dealers. As hear as can be ascertained, the books were selected from the publishers lists at the prices pet opposite W them. 'The board ' ordered the purchase of the books, and the list was then submitted to A. R. Derge & Company to be filled. It is authoritatively stated by Miss Annie E. Chapman, .the librarian that A. R. Derge & Company allowed a discount of 25 per cent, from the publishers list price as a concession to the library. As the profit, on the sale of books .is scarcely "ever less than 40 per cent, and from that to 00 per cent , the other dealers in the city will' still be wondering why they were not allowed to enter into competition. Allowing that after making discount of 25 per. cent- the average profit to A. R. Derge & .Company has been 12 per cent, on all the bookS .furniBbedto the library, the mystery of exclusiveness is still unexThere is probably not a plained. dealer in the city who would not be deto furnish some books to the lighted even at a profit of 124 per cent. library Aside from the glory of being able to help along the cause of free' education, the dealers would not scorn the modest margin. of .121 per cent profit But under the 'exclusive system of; buying many bf them never got a chance to furnish anything.. They no doiibt would have been .overjoyed at Bimply being noticed by ; the book buyers of the public library,' but even , this small boon was not vouchsafed to them. They were evidently not in favor. From the books bf the librarian, Miss Annie E. Chapman the subjoined .figures ' are snows the taken. The memoranda ' : books from the for amounts paid out down to the presof beginning.- ,January ; ent timeJanuary, A. R. Derge & Company, . , $280.95; Callahan, $55.20. & R. A. Company, Derge February, k ft E. First South from you Shepard Book t 45 Co. . The humor of the situation seemed to increase when.. the Shepard Book company received the following letter: Shepard Book Company, City. Gentlemen: The board of directors of the free public library at its regular monthly meeting this A. M., instructed . me to write "you, asking that legible triced lists of books offered for sale be Jurnished the board, such lists to re-- z RIEGER & LINDLEY o o h z o THE- - WHISKEY: MERCHANTS. Vi., 'Phone 365.' 0 0 0 0 ;' l - -j 0 0 J 35 and 37 West Second South . OOOO OOOOOOOOO : n 0 -- 0 0000000000004 |