LIBRARIES AND AUTHORS' ROYALTIES SIR,—In my letter of January 20
I described the Public Library as a 'public racket,' with many sup- porting facts and figures. I note with some surprise that the Secretary to the Library Association has nothing to say about them.
My conclusions were that authors and publishers should get more from the library traffic, and the libraries more from the borrower. Mr. Barry dis- misses both because of some rather fanciful practical difficulties. Such difficulties, fanciful or not, we are willing and eager to discuss, and settle, round a table. But eight or nine months ago (long before our Bill was finally drafted) Mr. Barry's Council refused to meet us. The methods in our minds were very care- fully contrived (and have some library experience behind them): but the librarians may well be able to persuade us that we are wrong, or they have some- thing better to suggest. We cannot be persuaded by sea-lawyers' letters to the press. The Minister of Education said to us in July: 'The librarians will have to do what they are told.' We have not taken that line; but if we arc never to meet we must.
Mr. Barry then goes back to his '6d. on the price of books for everybody'—which, apart from other Objections, would leave the public racket exactly as it is. I did my best to kill this irrelevant notion on January 6. I hope some publisher will try again.
As I am soon going away, may I thank you, sir, for the space you have kindly given to this affair.— 'Yours faithfully,
12 Ilammerstnith Terrace, W6 A. P. HERBERT
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