=355. Fines and Penalties.=--So long as the present rate limitation remains as fixed by successive Acts of Parliament, fines will continue to be levied in British municipal libraries. There is no doubt that the small incomes realized in most public libraries from the niggardly provision made by Parliament is one cause of the efforts made in many cases to increase funds, by imposing fines of varying degrees of severity upon the borrowers from lending libraries. This is, indeed, the principal reason, though it is said that, but for penalties of some sort, books would never be returned at all. There may be some truth in this, as regards a small proportion of borrowers, but the experience of Manchester and some American towns where no fines are imposed rather modifies the statement as to the supposed disastrous effects of non-fining. This, like many another question, is one on which the inexperienced theoretical objector appeals to his imagination for details of all sorts of hardships, inconveniences and dangers arising as the result of abolishing fines. Every argument is directed towards showing how the library would suffer, and incidentally it has been mentioned that, perhaps, the undue retention of a popular book would prove highly inconvenient to other readers who wanted it. These matters need not be discussed, since it must be obvious that popular books can always be duplicated to a certain extent; that more diligence can be exercised in the tracing, pursuit and ingathering of overdue popular books; and that there are methods of punishing hardened delinquent borrowers of this kind, by suspending their tickets, as is done at Manchester without serious results. But it is quite evident that in Britain fining for overdue books will be maintained until it is declared illegal--and no doubt, with bye-laws not legally confirmed, it is a doubtful practice, in England at all events--or Parliament has removed the rate limitation or provided other means of financial assistance, without all this scraping, pinching and doubtful means of increasing funds. What is suggested is more latitude in the imposition of fines, and a less eager desire to make money over the business than is implied in such fines as 1d. a day, and fines of two, three, four and five cents as charged in some American libraries. No library has a right or any need to make a profit out of such a transaction as fining for overdue books, and it would be better to make a uniform charge of 1d. per week, or portion of a week, for books retained over a fortnight, when not renewed by postcard or otherwise.