LATEST EUROPEAN NEWS.

Manawatu Times, Volume LXV, Issue 2027, 17 September 1913, Page 2

LATEST EUROPEAN NEWS.

FROM THE FILES. ATLANTIC RATE-OUTTING. Hamburg, August 10. Owing to further cuttings in Tates by t e Canadian Pacific Railway Company, the Hani burg-Amer-ika Line an i t e Austro--America Linb have .reduced the steerage fare to Canada to 120 marks (£6). Tie Austro-American is a pool line between Trieste and Canada, with which the Canadian Pacific Railway now competes. Herr Ballin, the director of the HamburgAmerika Line, in a statement published in Hamburg, expresses tue view that Germany Vould participate io the Panama Exhibition at San Francisco. Alt ongh otheris always opposed to international exhibitions, he considers t at participation at San Francisco in conjunction with to opening of the Panama Canal will give German industry an opportunity for effective pro.Lagan a on the west oast of America, which in the fnt ure will certainly be an important field for German trade.—Renter.

NOVEL PRIZE WON BY A WOMAN. REMARKABLE INDTAN STORY AND ITS AUTHOR. London, August 10. For the forth year in succession a woman has won the 250 guineas prize awardei annually for the best first not el by Mr Andrew Melrose, the well known publisher. Miss Margaret Peterson is t e lucky young author and the title of the successful book is "The Lure of the Litttle Drum." The adju icators were Miss Mary Cholmondeley, Mr Josept Conrad, and Mr W. J. Locke. Miss Peterson, who has been engaged chiefly in journalistic work for the past three years, is a daughter of ttie late Dr. Peterson, for many years Professor of Sanskrit at the Elp instone Col leap, Bombay, and this is her first effort at novel writing. LESS READING AT HUME.

EFFECT OF CINEMAS AND TRADE BOOM ON LIBRARIES

London, Aueust 10. Are public libraries becoming less popular?

A decline in the number of books issued for home reading is mentioned in many of the reports of these institutions. For instance, Westminster reports that it lent 2000 fewe books last year; and Richmond chronicles "a marked decline."

The C! airman of the Library Committee in the latter town attributes the falling off largely to two factors: The enormous number of standard and good popular works now published at low prices. The great increase in the number of places of cheap amusement. With this diagnosis the c ief librarian of Westminster (Mr Frank Pacy) is quite in agreement. "A man can now f rrn a library in his own home instead of being dependant on an institution," he told a Daily News representative yesterday. "On the other hand, no cheap form of literature can serve the purpose of a mbiic library." Among the places of cJ;eap amusement iesponsible for art of the decline Mr Pacy put t e picture palaces. He also dazarded t e opinion t' at the great tide of public prosperity was another factor.

" 'The more prosperous the trade of a country," ie paid, "the less leisure is fund for reading. Instead the people go holiday making. Bnt when times are bad then tne public litrary is a sort of solatium, and the people take more home rea ing. "H wever, oor experience here," he added, "is that as the len ing issues decline in number ti ere is a more stea y use of the reference departments, and that, Iti ink, i the case generally. Tiere is, in£ fact, no falling off in the taste for serious rea, ing. "