GOVERNMENT SCHOOL-BOOK MONOPOLY.
THE two most eminent publishers in London Messrs. Longman and Co. and Mr. Sohn Murray, accuse Lord Tohn Russell's Govern- ment of reviving the system of monopolies and bounties, and; above all things, in school-books ! The official correspondence on the sub- ject, which has been published this week,* consists of three ex- pository and argumentative letters by the publishers, and of two short letters by the Premier's private secretaries,. acknowledging the receipt of those letters and promising attention to the oase.
The publishers complain that "books published and printed. in Ireland, by the Irish Education Commissioners," are "sold in England at prices below those for which books can be sold by booksellers in this country "; and, moreover, that some of the books with which the Government Commissioners thus undersell the booksellers constitute a further injustice, by being wholesale pi- racies, so much so as to become the subject of actions at law. This process say Messrs. Longman and Murray, has already made the Irish booksellers "the poorest of their class." The quantity of books thus sold in England by the agents of the Irish Commission- ers amount to about one-fourth of the whole quantity of school- books demanded by the public. To enforce the justice of their case, the publishers appeal to the doctrine of competition, as sanc- tioned by the Free-trade policy of her Majesty's Government; and to the important fact, that the funds used to support the monopoly, nay the very damages to be paid for piracy in a court of law, are derived from taxes to which the injured parties themselves con- tribute.
It will be seen that the case set forth by Messrs. Longman and Murray comprises two accusations,—that of eatablishing a mono- poly to their injury ; and that of supplying to public schools in- ferior and dishonestly-compiled books. There is no difficulty in forming a judgment on the broad principles of the case. Within the province of trade the position taken by the pub- lishers is impregnable. Whatever duty may lie on the Govern- ment to provide fit books for puhlio schools, whatever abstract right officials may have to part with suck books for a bare equiva-
s " On the Publication of School-books by Government at the Public Expense. A Correspondence with the Right Honourable Lord John Russell, 11LP.,, Ike.' Pam- phlet published by Messrs. Longman and Co. and Mr. Murray. lent—a trading profit being, of course, out of the question—we hold that the existing circumstances of the country ought wholly to preclude them from any such traffic. It might perhaps be justi- fied on a principle which is as yet but in the commencement of its discussion by economical philosophers, the fundamental principle of Socialism or Communism : but that principle has not yet received authoritative sanction ; it is not the principle re- cognized by her Majesty's Government; and even if it were, to begin its application by destroying the interests of a particular class, would be totally at variance with the spirit of all " associa- tive " doctrines. The authorized principle is that of free trading ; free trading is the principle enforced against Messrs. Longman and Murray—it is the principle which must guide them in their deal- ings. Most unjust, therefore, is it to set up a monopoly which competes unequally with their trade ; doubly unjust, when the country which supports that monopoly is paid out of the taxes to which they contribute—snatched out of the very profits which are invaded by the process. While the whole trading system of the country exists as it is, regulated on free-trade principles deter- mined by economical authorities and adopted by her Majesty's Ministers, we hold that Government is totally precluded from en- tering into trade at all : it cannot do so on equal terms with other traders, it is under no compulsion to do so, and therefore it should keep out of trade altogether. Abstinence would in no way prevent the Government from pro- viding books for its own schools. The duty to provide such books is as clear as any other duty ; and of the works issued by the Irish Education Commission we can say that some of them are among the best of their kind. Circumstances may indeed justify a distribution of the books beyond the limit of the public schools ; but in such ease, a Government precluded from trading must effect the distribution in another method—by giving the books away. As to the public at large, the distribution may fairly enough be left to the ordinary operations of trade ; publishers being free to make their own bargain with the authors and com- pilers who are fortunate enough to enjoy the Government custom. That amount of patronage cannot be avoided ; it is not inconsistent with the recognized principles of trade, and it needs not be grudged to a meritorious writer. By a parity of reasoning, however, Go- vernment is bound not to award this patronage to the writer of any badly-written or dishonestly-compiled work. Such restrictions as we have indicated appear to us naturally and easily to solve the whole question raised in the correspondence of Messrs. Murray and Longman with the Government : they effectually settle the trading point; they do not preclude Government from acting in its duty as the primary distributor of educational works for the people.
Previous page
