Agents or Editors for its action or counsel. The Agents of either Publishing House are authorized, by and with the advice and consent of the Local Committee, to sell any real estate belonging to the same when it may be deemed best for the interests of the Church and Book Concern.

421. The Local Committees at New York and Cincinnati, acting jointly, shall have power to suspend an Agent or Editor for cause to them sufficient, and a time shall be fixed at as early a day as practicable for the investigation of the official conduct of said Agent or Editor, due notice of which shall be given by the Chairman of the Book Committee to the Bishops, who shall select one of their number to be present and preside at the investigation, which shall be before the fourteen members from the districts into which the Annual Conferences are distributed, two thirds of whom may remove said Agent or Editor from office in the interval of the General Conference. And in case a vacancy occurs in any of the Agencies or Editorial Departments authorized by the General Conference, it shall be the duty of the Book Committee, two at least of the General Superintendents being present and a majority of those present concurring, to provide as soon as practicable for such vacancy until the next General Conference.

¶ 422. The Book Committee shall be governed by the following regulations:

1. Immediately after its appointment the members shall divide themselves into two sections of ten each, the one to consist of the members from the Eastern Districts, together with the Local Committee in New York, to be called the Eastern Section; the other to consist of the members from the Western Districts

and the Local Committee in Cincinnati, to be called the Western Section.

2. To the Eastern Section shall pertain the supervision of the Publishing House in New York. The three members chosen from New York and vicinity as a Local Committee shall meet monthly at the Book Room in New York, to examine into the transactions of the month preceding. They shall keep a correct record of their proceedings, to be submitted to the Eastern Section of the Book Committee at its annual meeting, to be held at the place of and on the day previous to the meeting of the Book Committee.

3. The Western Section of the Book Committee and the Local Committee at Cincinnati shall perform the same duties for the Publishing House in Cincinnati, and be under the same regulations as are herein specified for the government of the Eastern Section.

¶ 423. The annual meeting of the Book Committee shall be held on the second Wednesday of February, and each Section shall have meetings at such time as it may elect.

III. Editors and Periodicals.

¶ 424. There shall be elected quadrennially by the General Conference an Editor for each of the following periodicals: The Methodist Review, The Christian Advocate, The Pittsburg Christian Advocate, The Southwestern Christian Advocate, The Western Christian Advocate, The Northwestern Christian Advocate, The Central Christian Advocate, The Epworth Herald, The Christian Apologist, The Pacific Christian Advocate, and Haus und Herd. The Editor of Haus und Herd shall also be Editor of German Sunday School books, periodicals, and tracts.

425. The Annual Conferences are affectionately and earnestly requested not to establish or encourage the founding of any more Conference or local Church papers; and where such papers exist to discontinue the same, when it can be done consistently with existing obligations.

IV. Special Publishing Committees.

¶ 426. The California Christian Advocate shall be published at San Francisco, California, by a Commission appointed by the Book Committee.

¶ 427. There shall be a Publishing Committee for The Pittsburg Christian Advocate, consisting of three members from the Pittsburg Conference, two from the Erie Conference, two from the East Ohio Conference, and two from the West Virginia Conference, to be chosen by the General Conference. The Committee shall fix the salary of the Editor, keep an account of the receipts and expenditures for the paper, and shall report annually its financial condition to the patronizing Conferences. A copy of said report shall also be sent to the Agents at New York, and any balance remaining after defraying current expenses shall be subject to the order of said Agents.

V. Depositories.

¶ 428. There shall be Depositories of our books at Pittsburg, Pennsylvania; at Boston, Massachusetts; at Buffalo, New York; at San Francisco, California; and at Detroit, Michigan. They shall be furnished by the Agents at New York with full supplies of the books of our General Catalogue, Sunday School books and tracts, to be sold for the Concern at the same

terms as at New York; provided, that there shall not be more than fifteen thousand dollars' worth at Pittsburg, nor more than ten thousand dollars' worth at Boston. There shall also be a Depository at Chicago, Illinois, and one at Kansas City, Missouri, to be supplied by the Agents at Cincinnati.

429. The expenses incident to the transportation, management, and sale of our books at these Depositories having been met out of the sales, the net proceeds shall be forwarded to the Agents.

¶ 430. Full statements shall be made to the Agents, at dates fixed by them, of the amount of sales and expenses; distinguishing cash sales from those on credit. Annual statements shall also be made of the amount of stock.

¶ 431. No books shall hereafter be sold on commission, either from New York, Cincinnati, or any Depository or establishment under our direction.

VI. Circulation of Religious Tracts.

432. It is recommended to our people everywhere to form Tract Societies auxiliary to the Tract Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

¶ 433. It is recommended to Pastors to take annually, in their several Congregations, collections in behalf of the Tract Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

¶ 434. It shall be the duty of each Presiding Elder to bring the Tract cause before the last Quarterly Conference of each year, in each Charge within his District; and said Conference shall appoint a Committee, of which the Pastor shall be Chairman, whose duty it shall be to devise and execute plans for local tract distribution.