To the Editor of the "Nonru-Cla Dany News."
Sin—Having been a habitue of the Municipal reading room for the Jast 17 years as well as a subscriber to the library a few observations on this neglected and ill-managed place may prove useful.
The lack of facilities for newspaper readers is a scandal. Some dozen years ago a reading board was installed and on it six local papers were attached by means of brass rods. The length of this board by actual measurement is 13 ft. and the width of an opened aper 3 £t causing one to have old one half of his paper up in it while the other half flat if another reader is one's side. There is ample pace on the west wall for another reading board large enough for two more papers; this space la, now occupied by'n built-up fireplace which presumably will never be used for its original purpose.
Of the six newspapers there are only four different two each of one morning paper, two of one evening Paper and.two others, As often a: of one or more of them is up in ome -official's office and readers must wait until itis released. Shanghai has had two evening papers for dozen yenrs yet one of them has ver been available for frequenters of the reading room. Nor has there fever been an outport newspaper in the place, 'The way the place is managed, too, needs a thorough investigation, 'One wonders whether any of the Library committee ever looks in. 'The person in charge leaves about 7 pin. and then the coolies get busy swabbing round the readers' feet making the darnedest nuisance of themselves—work which ought. to be done in the early morning before the place is opened but by doing it. at night they ensure an extra hour in bed next morning. A similar nuisance happens in the cold weather when almost every—evening there can be seen and heard some Gisturbed reader remonstrating with the coolies for raking out the fre} and stoves, shovelling up the ashes and raising such a racket from 7.15 pin, to 8 pam. that nobody can read for the din. The closing of the rooms, too, from 1. p.m. to 2.39 pam, and during August from 1 pan, to 4 pam, causes very much inconvenience to many and nobody can say why the subscribers' reading room is closed all Sunday. If the general room is available why not, the others? The coolies on Sundays always advance the clock so that they get away in the evening by as much as twenty minutes. before the proper closing time. In fact they can do just as they please.
Magazines are stolen with unity. This is seen at the year's end when all the periodicals ave bundled up for sale. One can never buy the issues complete of any periodical for one year. The stealing of the Christmas numbers of the home magazines a few hours after they arrive became such a scandal every year that last Christmas they were kept behind the counter and were only obtainable request. great extent but I remember being the thirty-fifth on the list for a particular book I wanted and as tone has the privilege of retaining for ten days it is not dificult to figure out how long one might have to wait for it, ety
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.