The relation of the office to this project has been peculiar, Mr. Chairman, and that alone has excused me in introducing the bill to you. But having introduced it, the office will, with your permission, relapse into its more normal position of informant to your committee on matters of fact, and an adviser when its opinion is asked. With the general structure of the bill, including its phraseology, the office will of course have especial concern. Upon the general principles involved and upon matters of practice the office will naturally have some opinions, and may not avoid ultimately expressing these, even though in doing so it incidentally supports a provision which concerns particularly a particular interest. It can not avoid this where a bill is referred to it by your committee for its opinion, and still less can it do it in the present case where it is itself in possession of the reasons which induce the various provisions and the principles supposed to underlie them. It must, as occasion requires and you think necessary, expound the bill. Mere advocacy, however, Mr. Chairman, of any particular provisions it must leave to others. Mr. Chairman, ordinarily I assume that in such a case as this those who are in a sense proponents of the measure would be heard in the affirmative in argument in support of the measure. It is my understanding that in so far as the proponents can be said to be those who participated in the conferences, they do not care for leave to make any argument as such. Certain of them, representing typical interests, would, however, be glad to submit a word or two in behalf of those interests--a very brief word, no one of them speaking for more than five minutes. We have thus far (which I am under duty to communicate to you) notice of objections to two or three particular provisions and then to the bill substantially as a whole. One of the particular provisions is that against reproduction of copyrighted musical compositions by means of some device or appliance for reproducing it to the ear. Another particular provision is that which, in two respects, curtails the privilege of American libraries to import foreign editions of works copyrighted here. Mr. CURRIER. It does so in more than two respects, does it not? Mr. PUTNAM. The present law permits two; the bill cuts the two to one. Mr. CURRIER. Yes; but there are various other restrictions embodied in the bill, are there not? Mr. PUTNAM. In regard to libraries? Mr. CURRIER. In regard to importation for libraries. Mr. PUTNAM. Yes; there may be other points. I was speaking of the two. Mr. CURRIER. The individuals are cut out, are they not? Mr. PUTNAM. The individuals are cut out. Mr. CURRIER. That is one restriction. Mr. PUTNAM. They are noted as cut out. Mr. CURRIER. The number of books is reduced from two to one? Mr. PUTNAM. In all cases; yes.