Mr. CURRIER. Under what section of this law? Let that go in the record right here. Mr. PUTNAM. Sections 28 and 29, I think. Mr. CUTTER. Section 28 is in regard to the condemnation, on page 21 of the Senate print. Sections 26 to 29 include the penalties that I have referred to. Our objection to that is the fact that libraries in these days must have at their disposal as quickly as possible the printed thought of foreign countries. If there is any delay in our obtaining the box of books (and those who have had experience, as I have, for thirteen years in importing books for libraries in this country, know that there is often six months delay in getting a box of books through the custom-house where there is the least question as to any of them) it would mean, practically, that our reason for buying the books at that time had disappeared. We want the printed English thought as quickly as possible. Mr. CHANEY. Do you think that is necessary to the efficiency of a public library? Mr. CUTTER. I do. Mr. CHANEY. That you should get those books immediately? Mr. CUTTER. I do; yes, sir. Now, my other reason is a commercial reason; and in order to state it I shall have to go somewhat into ancient history. About the year 1901 certain publishers of this country formed an association called the American Publishers' Association, and, in conjunction with the American Booksellers' Association, entered into an agreement to control absolutely the selling price of books in this country. It was an agreement among the publishers that they would not furnish books to booksellers who would not agree to sell the books at a standard price--in other words, a trust proposition. Mr. CHANEY. We have heard of trusts before. [Laughter.] Mr. CUTTER. The libraries were granted a 10 per cent discount from the price of the class of books affected by this agreement, so-called net-price books. We discovered, however, on examination, that these new prices which were fixed were so much higher that the net result to us was an advance of 25 per cent in the price of the book, and we found that the majority of those books were not books written by American authors, but they were books written by English authors and copyrighted in this country, and that there was a difference in price amounting to the 25 per cent tariff on printed books. So that this question, gentlemen, is a question of trusts and a question of tariff. Now, the librarians have been getting around that by importing English books, because the same book printed on the other side is sold in the case of these expensive books at a very much reduced price compared with the price on this side. If--I am going back now to my first position--if I am prevented, by the difficulties in getting through, by accident, a copyrighted book, from getting at the noncopyrighted book so long, then I will be forced to go to Mr. Scribner, who will buy the books for me abroad at his price, against my interest.