PART V.-CHAPTER VI.

PUBLISHING HOUSES.

Printing and Circulating Books and Periodicals.

407. 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.

¶ 408. The General Conference shall quadrennially elect two Agents for the Publishing House in New York, and two Agents for that in Cincinnati; which Agents shall have authority, and whose duty it shall be, under the supervision of the Book Committee, to regulate the publications and all other parts of the business of the Concern, except what belongs to the Editorial departments, in such manner as the state of the finances will admit and the interests of the Church may require; and which Agents, if chosen from among the Traveling Preachers, shall be Members of such Annual Conferences as they may, with the approbation of the Bishops, select.

¶ 409. It shall be the duty of the Agents of

both Publishing Houses to publish such Books, Tracts, Periodicals, etc., as are ordered or recommended by the General Conference; also to publish such as are recommended by the Book Committee, and approved by the Book Editors; and they may reprint any Book or Tract which has been once approved and published by us, when, in their judgment and that of the Book Editors, the same ought to be reprinted; and they may publish any new work which the Book Editors may approve.

T 410. The Agents of the Western Publishing House at Cincinnati shall supervise and `manage the business in the West, in co-operation with the Agents at New York; they shall have authority to publish any Book or Tract which has been previously published by the Agents at New York, when, in their judgment and in that of the Book Committee, the demand for such publication will justify and the interest of the Church require such re-publication; and the Agents at New York shall fill the orders of the Agents at Cincinnati for the plates of such Books or Tracts; and when the Agents at New York are about to issue any new work, they shall, when practicable, furnish to the Agents at Cincinnati, if ordered by them, duplicate plates, which, with the above, shall be at cost: provided, however, that the Agents at Cincinnati shall not reprint our large works, such as Com

mentaries, Quarto Bibles, Wesley's and Fletcher's Works, or any other works of more than seven hundred pages.

411. Printed Sheets ordered by the Cincinnati Agents from New York shall be sent at fifty per cent., and bound Books of the General Catalogue at forty per cent., discount from the retail prices, and those ordered from Cincinnati to New York shall be sent on the same terms: The Publishing House sending the Books to be charged with the expenses of transportation. The Agents at Cincinnati shall remit to the Agents at New York during the current year as largely and frequently as their funds will allow; and, if practicable, to the full amount of Stock furnished; they shall also pay one third of all the appropriations made by the General Conference, unless the said Conference shall otherwise order.

¶ 412. The Agents at each Publishing House 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, and Depositories under their control, with whatever profits or losses may have accrued on each. They shall furnish to the Local Subcommittee hereinafter designated, at each of its monthly meetings, a full and satisfactory statement of the transac

tions of the preceding month; and, if the Subcommittee shall so require, furnish for examination vouchers for all payments made during the period specified; and they shall give to the said Subcommittee at each of the monthly meetings every possible means and facility for a full and intelligent understanding of all the business transactions of the Concern.

¶ 413. The Agents, both at New York and at Cincinnati, shall annually take an account of Stock, including in their Inventory all the property and assets of the respective Publishing Houses, at their estimate cash value, except real estate, which shall have a value estimated by the Book Committee at the beginning of each quadrennium, which shall not be changed during the quadrennium except by the necessary changes caused by the purchase or sale, improvement or destruction, of real estate; together with a full and detailed statement of all their liabilities, profits, and losses; and they shall always hand over to their successors in office such a statement of Stock, property, assets, and liabilities, as shall be approved and certified by the Book Committee.

¶ 414. The Book Agents and Editors are required to give their undivided attention to the duties of their respective positions, and to require of their employés the faithful discharge of the work assigned to them.

Book Committee.

¶ 415. The General Conference shall elect a Book Committee to serve for four years, consisting of one from each of the General Conference Districts into which the Annual Conferences are distributed, and of three from New York or its vicinity, and three from Cincinnati or vicinity; which Committee shall, during the interval of the General Conference, have power to fill vacancies occurring in its own body. Such Committee shall have the general supervision of the Publishing Interests of the Church, examine carefully into their condition, and make report of the same to the Annual Conference and to the General Conference; and shall have full power to close all Depositories and Periodicals when the Committee believes the interests of the Church and 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 Book Agents. And the Committee shall also have the power to order expenses curtailed in any department of the Book Concern when it deems it necessary for the welfare of the Church and of the Book Concern. When such action as above specified shall have been taken by said Book Committee, notice shall forthwith be given to the Agents, who shall proceed at once to carry out the instructions of