Mr. CUTTER. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, I claim to represent no association, nor to represent myself personally. I claim to represent only the public libraries of the following cities: Chicago, St. Louis, Baltimore, Louisville, Pittsburg, Newark, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and Springfield, Mass. Also the libraries of the following universities and colleges: Yale, Cornell, Colgate, Wisconsin, Michigan, Amherst, and Brown; the New York State Library and the Connecticut State Library; the Western Massachusetts Library Club, comprising a membership of forty libraries, and the Connecticut Library Association, representing the organization of libraries in Connecticut. I wish to speak a few moments on that provision contained at the bottom of page 24 of the Senate print of the bill. Mr. WEBB. What section? Mr. CUTTER. Section 30; the third subsection of section 30, at the bottom of page 24, line 25, including all after the words "United States"--in other words, that portion of the bill which prohibits importation by public institutions of a certain class of books. You are well aware of the fact that existing law allows public libraries to import two copies of any book without any restriction as to what the book shall be. There are certain points that will make the suggested legislation a great hardship to the libraries. Mr. CURRIER. Pardon me just a minute. Can you import two copies of an unauthorized edition? Mr. CUTTER. Yes, sir. Mr. CURRIER. Can you do that to-day? Mr. CUTTER. Yes, sir; we can now. Mr. CURRIER. A fraudulent reprint, for instance? Mr. CUTTER. Yes, sir. Mr. CURRIER. There is absolutely no restriction, as you understand it to-day? Mr. CUTTER. There is no restriction at all, as I understand, on library importations; but there is in this bill in regard to it. Mr. CURRIER. I was asking about existing law. Mr. CUTTER. Yes; I understand that libraries can import any books that they wish. Mr. CURRIER. I had the contrary opinion, but I may be mistaken. Mr. CHANEY. You object to that entire part of the bill, do you? Mr. CUTTER. Yes; I object to it principally for this reason: In importations for large libraries, such as those that I represent--it does not apply to small libraries which import only a small number of books--a case of books will come in from abroad, books that are not copyrighted in this country, English books. One book in that case might, by a mistake, be one which was copyrighted here, printed in England, and containing no notice of its copyright in the United States of America. If that fact was discovered it would send all of that box of books to public store; it would place all the box of books, as I understand, in danger of being destroyed; and it would place the librarian who did the importing in danger of having to show the Secretary of the Treasury, under this law, that he was not guilty of trying to import that book illicitly.