SECOND-HAND BOOK DEALS.

Press, Volume LIV, Issue 16271, 23 July 1918, Page 2

SECOND-HAND BOOK DEALS.

A RECORD MUST BE KEPT.

A matter of considerable interest to book dealers who own circulating libraries came before Mr E. 1). Mosley, S.M., at Auckland last week, when William Aislabie, proprietor of a booKshop, was charged with a breach of viie Second-hand Dealers Act, in that be exchanged a second-hand book, without recording in a book kept for the purpose the name, address, and calling of the person who made the exchange with him. Mr Chalmers, on behalf of the defendant, stated that defendant did a large business in exchanging books at a very small margin of profit, making a weekly exchange of about 2000 books at liis Pit' street shop. Hitherto tho of the Second-hand Dealers Act had never been enforced in the matter of book exchanges, and to enforce them would mean that persons in such busjness would havo to get clerical assistance. i-Senior-Sergeant McNamara stated that defendant was quite a reputab't> book dealer, but the prosecution had arisen through a book, which was a rarity of its kind, and had been stolen, being found in defendant's shop. He had got it in the ordinary course of exchange, and as he had no record of those who exchanged books with hill tli9 thief could not be traced. Books were easily stolen, and bard to tracf-, so ihat it wasr important that ihe persons dealing in second-hand books should keep a record of their transactions. His Worship remarked that secondhand book dealers would know in future that they should keep a record. Defendant would be conricted and discharged.