CHAPTER I

BOOK CONCERN

[N. B.-The General Conference of 1908 directed the unification of the two Publishing Houses of the Book Concern under one Charter and Management during the quadrennium. See Journal, page 556.]

I. Publishing Houses

¶ 344. The principal Publishing Houses of the Book Concern shall be in the cities of New York and Cincinnati; but there shall be Depositories of our publications at such other places as the General Conference may from time to time determine.

345. The General Conference shall quadrennially elect two Agents for the Publishing House in New York and two Agents for the Publishing House in Cincinnati; which Agents shall have authority, under the supervision of the Book Committee, to regulate the publications and other business of the Book Concern, except that which belongs to the Editorial Departments, in such manner as the interests of the Church may require.

¶ 346. It shall be the duty of the Agents of both Publishing Houses to publish such books, tracts, periodicals, etc., as are ordered by the General Conference or by the Book Committee; the tracts to be supplied to the different societies and departments of the Church at the actual cost of publication. They shall nominate an Editor, who, when elected by the Book Committee, shall have editorial supervi

sion of all manuscripts and all other intended publications bought or otherwise procured, which shall bear the imprint of the Methodist Book Concern or its Publishing Agents. He shall also be Editor of Tracts.

¶ 347. The Agents at Cincinnati shall supervise and manage the business in the West in coöperation with the Agents at New York. Either House shall have authority to publish any book or tract previously issued by the other House, when in the judgment of the Agents or the Book Committee the interests of the Church require such republication, and the plates for the same or for any new work about to be published by either shall upon order be supplied by the other at cost. Printed sheets shall be supplied by either House to the other at master's rates, and bound books of the General Catalogue at not less than fifty per cent discount from the retail price.

¶ 348. Each House shall pay such proportion of the appropriations made by the General Conference or of the dividends authorized by the Book Committee as the General Conference or the Book Committee may from time to time direct.

349. The Publishing Agents shall keep a separate account with each department of the business, and with each periodical published under their supervision; and they shall set forth in their reports to the Annual and General Conferences the amount of sales, receipts, and expenditures for books, periodicals, by the Depositories under their control, together with a statement of the profits or losses on the same. They shall furnish to the Local Committee, hereinafter designated, at each of its monthly

meetings, a full and satisfactory statement of the transactions of the preceding month; and, if the Local Committee shall so require, present for examination vouchers for all payments during the period specified. And they shall afford said Committee every possible means and facility for a full and intelligent understanding of the business.

¶ 350. The Agents both at New York and Cincinnati shall annually take an account of stock, including in their inventory all the assets of whatever nature of the respective Publishing Houses at their estimated cash value, except real estate, which shall be appraised by the Local Committees respectively at the beginning of each quadrennium, which valuation shall not be changed during the quadrennium except by the purchase or sale, improvement or destruction, of property. Said account shall also contain a full and detailed statement of all liabilities, profits, and losses. The Agents shall hand over to their successors in office such statement of assets and liabilities as shall be approved and certified by the Book Committee.

351. The Publishing Agents and Editors are required to give their undivided attention to the duties of their respective positions, and to require of their employees the faithful performance of the work assigned to them.

¶ 352. Every Annual Conference shall appoint a Committee, which, in the absence of an Agent, shall attend to the collection of the accounts forwarded from the Book Concern, and make accurate return for the same. Every District Superintendent and Pastor shall do all in his power to collect debts due the Book Concern. If any Minister or member of our

Church indebted to the Book Concern shall refuse or neglect to make payment, or to come to a just settlement, he shall be dealt with in the same manner as in other cases of debt or disputed accounts.

353. The profits arising from the Book Concern, after a sufficient capital to carry on the business is retained, shall be regularly applied to the relief of Effective, Supernumerary, and Superannuated Ministers, their wives, widows, and children. The Publishing Agents shall every year forward to each Annual Conference a statement of the dividend to which it is entitled, together with a draft for the

same.

¶ 354. Any Member of an Annual Conference who may publish any work or book of his own shall be responsible to the Conference for any obnoxious matter or doctrine contained therein.

II. Book Committee

¶ 355, § 1. The General Conference of A. D. 1900 shall elect a Book Committee consisting of one member from each of the General Conference Districts into which the Annual Conferences are distributed, those elected from the odd numbered Districts to be elected for a term of eight years, and those from the even Districts for a term of four years; and thereafter there shall be elected by each General Conference, for a term of eight years, one member for each District, to take the place of the member from the District whose term is then expiring, or to fill vacancies, and five members from New York or its vicinity, to be known as the Local Committee

in New York; and five members from Cincinnati or vicinity, to be known as the Local Committee in Cincinnati. The Book Committee shall during the interval of the General Conference have power to fill vacancies occurring in its own body.

In all cases the person appointed to such vacancy shall be from the same Conference to which the retiring member belonged, or within the bounds of the Conference in which he resided.

§ 2. The Committee shall have general supervision of the publishing interests of the Church, examine carefully into their condition, and make report of the same to the Annual Conferences and to the General Conference. It shall also be its duty to fix the salaries of the Bishops, Publishing Agents, and all official Editors not otherwise provided for, and, upon the recommendation of the Agents, to elect a Book Editor, and to determine the amount to be allowed for correspondence for the several official periodicals.

§ 3. It shall have full power to discontinue any Depository or periodicals when the interests of the Church or Book Concern demand it; said action shall, however, not be taken except by a two-thirds vote of the Committee, due notice of such contemplated action having been given the Agents. The Committee shall have the power to order expenses curtailed in any department of either Publishing House when it deems it necessary for the welfare of the same; and when such action as above specified shall have been taken, the Agents shall proceed at once to carry out the instructions of the Committee. The Committee shall also attend to all matters referred to it by the Agents or Editors for its action or counsel. The Agents of either Publishing House