LITERARY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 95, 22 April 1922, Page 22

LITERARY.

'"Capital and Labour: Their Duties and Responsibilities," by Walter Jones, J.P., M.1., Mech. E. (P. S. King and Son), deals with the social and industrial problems that have arisen as an aftermath of the war. He says that "however slow Evolution may be it is the only safe course. Humanity cannot stand still, it Biust rice to higher levels or eink to greater depths, and strenuous efforts will be needed for many years to stabilise industry and commerce, and to bring about, in some small measure, a nearer approach to equality of opportunity; there is no such thing as finality." The author discusses the subjects of capital, credit, finance, income, labour, pievention of waste, industrial burdens, taxation, and other matters affecting the industrial and social conditions of nations.

"Cobweb," by G. A. Chamben-in (Mills and Boon), is a dashing, laughing love story of a man whotunarried a girl ~ ithout knowing who she was. What caught his attention first was a tear — a single tear falling slowly down her cheek. "It had been preceded by not the slightest facial convulsion of weeping; it had just happened. It was a rogue tear, broken away from the herd, complete in itself and busy with an individual mission." He saw her again— and a single tear fell from her eye. liefore the evening was over he had fallen desperately in love with the bewitching creature. .. . Yes, she would marry him. but only if he would promise never to inquire into her past. And he promised. This is the beginning of a sparkling love tale, with brilliant dialogue and many wittily wise observations about men and women and life.

Mr. Hulbeit Footner's latest mystery story. "The Owl Taxi" (Collins) "starts a series of thrilling situations with the discovery at midnight of a dead body on the floor of a taxi cab. Gregory Parr, a young man of good family, who is led throush a curious combination of cir-

cumstances to take possession of the ear and its gruesome contents, finds himself involved in the vortex of a political conspiracy which has its roots in a Central American Republic. In league with a niece of the murdered man, he resolves to bring the assassin and his accomplices to justice, but soon discovers that his own life is in peril. Through a series of plots and counter-plots, aided by his pretty and clever colleague, he finally attains success and its appropriate reward.

Xiiss Oiive XL Salter's first book, "Martha and Mary," caused a certain amount of controversy, but no one could deny its cleverness and promise. The eliief character in "God's Wages" is Mary Ann \ erity, a charming, captivating, and very modern young woman, who marries Richard Ginsbury believing that she loves him. But she fails to grasp the idea of marriage as an egoisme a deux, and her married life is cursed at every turn by her insatiable lust for personal supremacy. She has not the slightest compunction in sacrificing others for her own happiness, and in the end she ruins Richard's life a,nd very nearly her own. "God's "Wages" is an exceedingly clever diagnosis of au interesting complex temperament. The publishers are YV. Collins Sons and Co. Our copy from Whitcombe and Tombs.

In looking at some old: maid, who has been left in a backwater of life's stream, we may sometimes be tempted to speculate upon her experiences, and call up in imagination a vision of her probable hopes, dreams, and disappointment*. This is a' task which Hiss May Sinclair- has set before her in "The Life and Death'of HarriettFream" (Collins). We jare. invited to enter into the joys and_sorrows of Harriett's childhood, her girlish-friendships, her one lore affair in w_feh.'s_e sacrificed herself and her lover from a sense of loyalty to a girl friend —an act of self-denial that ended disastrously for all concerned, and her slow drift into the loneliness of old age. It is a pathetic story of a kindly nature warped by adverse circumstances. Our copy from Whitcombe and Tombs.

"Breaking Point," by Jeflery E. Jefferey, published in the "New Era" series (Leonard Parsons), reviews the unsatisfactory condition ■of civilisation to-day and suggests that the opportunity for a world-wide change is not only possible, but imminent. The author, "in setting forth his aim, says: "No particular social "theory is here advocated and no particular policy supported. But an attempt is made to state, in general terms, the material and psychological conditions in which civilisation finds itself to-day, and to consider them in relation to the idea of progress." The author contends that the capitalistic system has failed, and that "this is a convulsive epoch in the annals of civilisation. Ancient traditions, powerful prejudices are melting in the seething cauldron of discontent. And from-it may be expected—Change. Great epochs produce great men—men of genius who, wittingly or unwittingly, shape the mass towards a purpose*." From such sources he appears to anticipate a far-reaching social revolution.

The thirty-ninth annual issue of "The' Empire Municipal Directory for 1921-22, \ issued by the Sanitary Publishing Co., I Bream's Buildings, London, E.G., contains a mass of information useful to | municipal authorities and others inter-' ested in city government. The first half of -the book is devoted to epitomes of facts relating to municipalities, shire and county councils throughout the Empire. These have been chiefly derived from information supplied by the various local authorities, but they suffer from the defect that the statistical information is confined to the actual borough boundaries, and does not therefore represent the magnitude of the cities concerned. For example, the population of Melbourne is given as 106,100. The various boroughs comprised in the metropolitan area which make up the 700,000 population of Victoria's capital are given separately, but there is no indication that these are part of Melbourne. Auckland's population is given as 59,000, instead of the 150,000 which the city, including suburbs, may claims The local governing bodies of the United Kingdom are enumerated, together with the principal administrative officers. The second half of the book comprises a series of articles of first-class importance to municipal authorities, such as road construction and maintenance, engineering and building construction, municipal motor vehicles, plain and reinforced concrete, water supply purification and softening, sewerage, and sewage disposal, »health officials and sanitation, fire prevention, and'kindred topics. The book also contains a list .of municipal -engineering, public health, and scientific societies and Government departments dealing with local aovernment in Great Britain.