BOOK READERS IN NEW ZEALAND.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18194, 3 October 1924, Page 11

BOOK READERS IN NEW ZEALAND.

MR SOUTH IN, LONDON. (VRQU OVK 60BB£V0XDEXT.) , LONDON, August 27. To the' Bookseller and the Stationery -Trades Journal" Mr H. C. Sooth (Wellington), who is on admission toTjondtftt to negotiate with the' Publishers',, Association as to.certain disabilities under which New Zealandters -think, they suffer, has been giving some infbrmatiim about .the Dominion. 'Australia and New Zealand think what'they hare to Bay deserves some consideration; for the book-reading public of these couptries is, per capita to the population, the greatest in the world. He strctSes the fact that their population consists of 98 per cent. British stock, and lie thinks English publishers might vety well • bear it'in mind. ' American publishers during the last few years have been making special efforts to ■ capture both the Australian and New Zealand markets, and are offering vary favour- - able and tempting conditions. Australian and New Zealand • booksellers prefer British books, and do 'all can to push them, but they naturally? expect some consideration from British publishers. '■ , ' . f " "A few British publishers ars \al< ready beginning to realise the imports ance of tfae Australian ' and New Zealand market." They giving" better terms, and I think' I am nght in saying they axe already finding it is well worth while. This consideration, however, is not as general as it should be, and there is a die- - tinct feeling among New Zealand book-' sellers that British publishers do 1 not give them quite the good - treatment they have a tight toexpect, and it is to give expression to that feeling that our deputation has been sent here/and, that the Sydney conference has met.*'' Why Not More Books and Beaders? 'The ''Bookseller" did nofcfind it ' together pleasant to < hear from M* South, at the Booksellers' Conference in Oxford, that New Zealand, in proportion to its population, buys and reads a great many more books we <io. The annual import therel . !■,«£ . books was valued at one ' pounds. This means that each New Ze&lander spends something like shillings a year in buying bocks. Exact figures as to the purchase of books with us, the paper points oat, are not'available, but it is safe to say that the average for each individual here is very much less than that. Now that everyone can read, and most-people read something, it is quite clear that something ought to.be done to improve a state of things so essentially satisfactory.. Mere advertisement cannot, ,o£ course, do everything, but it seems obvious thai if the attention of the public could be atracter more to books a distinct step could be gained. The numbeir of books published every year is already considerable, and if a large proportion only find a limited circulation,'it is not altogether the fault of the books, but is rather due to the,-In-difference and apathy, of the public generally. The habit of reading more cannot be formed right off or by merely wishing to have it. In some cases it may almost mean a change of temperament, and any change of that sort, of' course, takes time. At the same time improvement ought not to be impossible, and' if those who read a little already could learn to read more, and those who hardly read at all could be persuaded to try the joys and pleasures of reading, in time the public would be distinctly larger than it is'today, while the spread of everyday knowledge and learning would be proportionately extended.