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31. Do you think that the privileges of copyright which the Electric Lines Act confers tends to create a monopoly by the Press Association ? —lt has that tendency. 32. And, so far as the charges for entrance-fees have any effect, you think this is owing to the Electric Lines Act?— Quite so. 32a. And that this creates a monopoly ?—That is so; that is my opinion. 33. Do I understand from, you that the association to which you referred in Victoria do not supply their clients with cable news ? —I am not quite sure about that; it has no cable-service in the Home-country. 34. Any news of that sort would be copied from the metropolitan papers of the morning or evening ? —Quite so. 35. Had you any experience of the old Press Agency under Holt and McCarthy?—l had no direct experience beyond the fact that I was sub-editor of the New Zealand Times during the time the old Press Agency under Holt and McCarthy was in operation. 36. Then, you would deal with them only for the New Zealand news? —Yes; that was a New Zealand service. 37. The cables you got through Eeuter ?—Yes, through Eeuter. 38. What is your opinion as to the effect of this monopoly as regards public opinion ? Is it prejudicial to the starting of newspapers in places where public opinion is weak owing to the scattered condition of the population ?—I should imagine it would have that tendency ;I do not see how it could be otherwise. 39. If you were to pay an entrance-fee for a tri-weekly, and you were subsequently to make your paper a daily, would there be a further fee to pay ? —Yes ; the difference between £176 and £250 would have to be paid; at all events, it would be demanded. That was the information sent to me by my old partner, Mr. Innes. 40. Would paying the entrance-fee confer upon you any rights to participate in the management ? Would you bo able to take part at any of the meetings held by the Association for the purpose of controlling its affairs ?—So far as I know, when I was a member of the Association I had no rights beyond getting the telegrams. I was a member of it for a few years. - 41. What was the annual fee demanded for a newspaper, whether tri-weekly or daily?—We did not go into that question. Ido not know positively. I objected to the entrance-fee ; I was prepared to pay the other, whatever it was. 42. You made no objection to that ?—No, I made no objection to that. 43. Then, you were quite prepared to pay any annual subscription, provided you paid the same as other papers of the same class ?—Quite so. 44. Your objection was to the entrance-fee, which you say had the effect of restraining you in the proper conduct of your business ?—Quite so. 45. As an expert, do you consider that this entrance-fee is intended to represent the value given to you for the money paid, or to prevent the starting of fresh newspapers in the country ? — It is intended to prevent the starting of fresh newspapers, or to repress them, at all events. I may be wrong, but that is my impression. 46. Do you know of any advantage that you would receive from the payment of this large sum, or do you think that such advantage as you might derive from it justifies the demand ?—I cannot see any ground for it. I think there should be no more charged than what would satisfy the legal expenses, say, ten guineas or so. 47. You are also a compositor, I believe?— Yes; I was brought up to the business in the Old Country. I served my apprenticeship there. 48. Do you think these copyright clauses, inasmuch as they may prevent the starting of newspapers throughout the colony, have any effect in accentuating the " unemployed " difficulty so far as the employment of compositors is concerned ?—I do not look at it in that way. I rather look at it from the point of view that appears to me—that the existence of many small newspapers has accentuated the difficulty so far as regards the employment of compositors—so many small newspapers starting throughout the country employ a number of boys. When these boys mature the small newspapers are not able to give them all employment as journeymen, and they get more boys. They can only employ a very limited number of men, and as the boys get out of their apprenticeship they have to go into the big cities to seek employment. In fact, if it were not for the big newspapers it would be hard for compositors to get employment. That is my impression. I was secretary of the Typographical Society of Otago for a short time, so that I had a good chance of noticing all the phases of this question. 49. You say that the employment on the large newspapers forms the principal avenue through which the country apprentices are employed ?—That is my experience. 50. Suppose these copyright clauses stood in the way of other papers being started in each of the four cities, would you consider the operation of the clauses in that respect bad, even from that point of view?— Yes, even from that point of view. 51. Would you consider that an entrance-fee of between £500 and £1,000 for admission to the Press Association is likely to prevent newspaper enterprise ?—Certainly it is. 52. Then, you as an expert consider that the action of these clauses in preventing the starting of newspaper enterprise in the large cities would act detrimentally to the compositors throughout the country ?—Quite so, so far as the large cities are concerned, and also perhaps the secondary cities—such places as Timaru and Napier. 53. Do you think there would be any justification for demanding £500 as entrance-fee for admission to the Press Association in a town like Hastings, for example ?—No, I should think not. 53a. Would you be surprised if you were told that £500 was demanded for the entrance-fee there? —I was very much surprised when I saw it in the newspapers.