Show details are given by the philadelphia record of the operation of a combination of book publishers possessing several features akin to those said to be commma trusts it ia composed of leading book publishers in new york chicago philadelphia and other large cities the plan ef operation consists in assigning certain territory to certain houses interference ter ference is not allowed unless a bonus is paid no attempt to influence prices is made it is asserted but an outside book publishing house finds competition with a trust house generally disadvantageous the effect of the combination is to eliminate competition in many directions and render it possible to dispense avith a number of book agents tho expenditure of large sums of money fco influence contracts is avoided rate cutting wars aro not unknown even in this combination such a war has only been recently ended representatives of houses in the combination assert that there is really no such thing as a trust existing but that there is a board of trade in this as in many other lines of buff |