NOTES AND COMMENTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21937, 22 October 1934, Page 8

NOTES AND COMMENTS

[ libraries Mr. L. Stanley Jast, formerly city librarian of Manchester, speaking at the Library Association's conference in London on "Book selection and public," suggested that the fine was seasonable for an attempt to redefine, in terms of present needs, the arms of the rate-supported library. Mr. . criticised the statements in the as. o "Ition's manual for small libraries tha "it is a common heresy that all libraries sl.ouM have a representative took of books," and "books wh.eh • dinrt merry lives should form promise short, meuj _ . , a fairly hirge part of the 01 >g" 1 stock." That was the principle ot demand dictating supply—commercialism naked and unashamed and commercialism, too, at its worst, for the higher commercialism endeavoured to create demand by supplying the best. The task of the new librarian was simplicity itself; buy the books which "co." leave all the scholarly books to the librarians of the larger libraries, and watch the issues climb. It was strange that' while discoursing on the issue-value of books their experts entirely ignored reader-value. Were they to cater for numbers or for quality, or they were to do as the libraries had done in the past, cater for both, but with a scale dipped decisively in favour of the reader who was worth while? If public libraries were to become the slaves of highrissue values, if second and third-rate stuff were to be the primary basis of selection, he was happy in that his time as a librarian was over. To stress high-issue value unduly to the virtual exclusion of other factors would lead to the reduction of the popular rate-supported library to the level of the purely commercialised circulating library, or the hollow frauds which masqueraded as bookshops in so many towns. He protested against the idea that it was waste of public money and bad librarianship to buy books which were only occasionally read.

DEARER FOOD The Board of Trade Journal announces that, although all prices havo onlv risen by 2.1 per cent, the wholesale price of all food has since last month risen by 6} per cent, says the Manchester Guardian, in its issue of September 14. This rise is by no means merely seasonal. Last year the corresponding rise was under 2 per cent, and in 1932, a year in which conditions were more similar, the rise was only 0.1 per cent. Finally, the average rise in August during the five years preceding the depression was 0.5 per cent. The only substantial seasonal element in the present increase is in the price of eggs, and it may be doubted whether the rise would have been so heavy had it not been for the "gentleman's agreement" restricting the importation of eggs in shell. But, needless to say. poultry farmers are not satisfied, .and, since the existing standstill arrangement expires to-day, it is expected that Mr. Elliot will make arrangements which will send the price even higher. There has also been a serious rise in price in the cere.al group, which has -shot up by 11.8 per cent since last month. The world price of wheat has risen, partly on account of the drought but indirectly because of the restrictive policy of the exporting countries, which in turn was caused by the shutting down of European markets. The wheat subsidy, which is encouraging our farmers to concentrate attention on our most uneconomic crop, was a contributory cause in the world wheat restriction programme. When these factors have been eliminated the protective policy of the Government is still responsible in no small measure for higher wholesale prices. There will be a lag' before retail prices follow suit, but they are already four points higher than they were in 1932. Mr. Elliot's policy of cutting down food imports may pass with little public complaint so long as retail prices remain low, but when once they rise consumers will more and more question his "Little England" economics.

THE LEAGUE "As to the idea that there exists immutable antagonism between the international order of the League of Nations and the national order of the British Empire, it might surely as -well be argued that the devotion of a man to his own family was prejudiced by his lively recognition of his responsibilities to the State in his capacity as a citizen," said Viscount Halifax in a recent speech. "The truth, as we know, is exactly the opposite. The best citizen is he who is the best family man and does his best for his own family. That man will be the best father or brother or son who is most conscious of his responsibilities as a citizen. All human life is built upon the foundation of a whole series of mutually supporting loyalties. Each one of them becomes stunted and atrophied if it becomes merely self-regard-ing. A man's loyalty to his family, to his town, his country, his Union, or whatever it may be; all tends to fade unless it is constantly balanced and inspired by the ideal of wider service to the whole, of which all those things form a part. The same principle holds good of every unit of the British Empire in relation to the whole, and it holds not less good for the British Empire it-self in relation to the great famjly of humanity that we call the world. 1 sometimes think that it must have been something of that that Nurse Cavell, who made surely the highest sacrifice for patriotism that any human being could make, had in mind when she used those words on which we all have so often pondered, patriotism is not enough. Therefore, so far from there being any mutual antipathy between the League of Nations and the British Empire, I would go so far as to assert that the same national spirit was the only sound foundation for the international structure, and that that international structure was the only natural and complete fulfilment of all national loyalty. It is reasons such as those that have led our people, the great masS of the British people, and successive Governments that they have called to power to lend tJjcir full support to the League of Nations and the principles for which it stands. The League no doubt is not perfect. Few human instruments are. It may be that afc the proper time and in the proper way it will be found capable of improvement, but the only way to salvation is through co-operative effort."