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100. You know of no reason why this entrance-fee should be increased ? —None whatever. 101. Assuming the copyright clauses were abolished, would the papers have any advantage by getting their cables straight off? —Yes, undoubtedly there would be an advantage in being able to get the cables straight off. 102. A few minutes would make all the difference in the value of a telegram?— Yes. 103. Mr. Pinkerton.] Suppose the Press Association charged reasonably, or were their entrance-fee lowered, you would not object to the copyright? —Not in the least. The entrance-fee is a complete bar to any one taking advantage of the service. 104. Mr. Massey.] How would you accomplish a reduction ?—I would do the same as was done in Holt and McCarthy's time : I would have an annual subscription, and punish those who infringed the rules laid nown. 105. How can we do that ?—By withdrawing the privileges given if they are abused. 106. Mr. O'Began.] After the papers have paid their subscription, and been admitted to be members of the Association, do you know whether they get any dividend ? —Not a sixpence ; not a halfpenny. 107. I have been assured that the money raised by the Association in the way of entrance-fees is distributed in due proportion between the papers subscribing ?—I never heard of it.

Thursday, 3rd September, 1896. Patrick Galvin examined. 1. The Chairman.'] You are a journalist?— Yes. 2. And the proprietor of a newspaper ?—Yes ; I am lessee. 3. I believe you have been connected with the New Zealand and "Victorian Press for a considerable time ? —J?or thirty years. - 4; Is your experience generally spread over the colony ?—Yes, considerably ; spread over New Zealand. 5. Have you had any experience in Australia?— Sixteen years in Australia; fourteen altogether in New Zealand. 6. You are aware that the object of this Committee is to inquire into the working of the copyright clauses of the Electric Lines Act. The Committee wishes you to state your opinion as an expert on that subject, so that the Committee may be guided in their judgment as to whether these clauses should continue to have operation. I will first ask you whether you object to this copyright ?—I do not object to copyright as copyright. 1 think that any Association which spends a lot of money to obtain news from far and near should have protection. But I think, at the same time, that any one who wants news should have it without having to pay an exorbitant fee for it. 7. Do you mean by way of entrance or annual subscription? —I object to the entrance-fee. An annual subscription, 1 take it, would be necessary for running the business. At the present time, in the district lam now in, I have started a second paper. The district contains between seven and eight thousand people. I started the first paper in that district in 1880; it did not contain, at the outside, more than fifteen hundred people. There was an entrance-fee then charged by the Press Association : it was £25 for a bi-weekly—the Hawera Star. 8. Will you give me the date again? —1880. I remember that Mr. Innes, partner, and myself very strongly resented having to pay even £25. We did not object to the scale of charges for news—that is, the annual subscription—but we did strongly object to pay the Association £25 for the right to get the news. We considered that we had a right to that £25 to carry us over the struggle of an early business. In taking over this second paper, the Hatvera Morning Post, I saw the general manager of the Press Association and asked him what the entrance-fee would be for a daily paper at Hawera—that is, for this second paper. I might here say, if the Committee will allow me, that when I first negotiated for this second paper my impression was that it was already in the Press Association. When I landed here in Wellington, or a day or two afterwards, I asked the general manager what the entrance-fee would be, and he said it would be £250 at the least, and it might be £300. 9. Mr. Pinkerton.] How long is that ago?— That is about three months ago. But when I went into the affairs of this newspaper I found it in a much lower condition than I expected, so I determined to go back for the present from a daily to a tri-weekly. I asked my old partner, who is now in business in Wellington, to go to the general manager and ask him what the entrance-fee would be for a tri-weekly, and he got the answer that it would be £176. [See Exhibit A.] 10. Mr. o'Began.] Who was the founder of this second paper you refer to ?—Messrs. Ivess and Stowell. There were three papers :it was a syndicate of papers. There was one at Hawera, one at Eltham, and one at Stratford. They did at first join the Press Association; but when the Association found the news was used for a syndicate of papers they refused to wire to them. When I came and found the paper was not in the Association I was very much disgusted, I assure you. 11. The Chairman.] You did not propose to use the news for a syndicate of papers—only for the Hawera Post ? —Yes, that is so —for a tri-weekly. The minimum for a daily I found was £250. I have a telegram on the subject; but I did not anticipate coming before this Committee, or I would have brought it with me. I'inding that I wanted all the money I could get, and a good deal more, for working the business and paying the hands, I did not join the Association; and I doubt if I should ever do so as long as they demanded an enormous entrance-fee. My present wish is to be able to do without them, and to put what money I can into the paper in other ways,