L—lo

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105. Mr. Ivess stated that the sum he paid for entrance-fee was £138 ?—I do not know what it was ; the general manager did not tell me what it was. I have the letter at home on the subject. I will forward it to the Committee if they desire it. 106. You have said that it is a fair thing to have copyright: what is your grievance against the Association ?—My grievance is that they charge this entrance-fee, which ought to go to the nourishment of the early stages of a business, and which is absolutely required in the early stages to carry on, 107. The business of an individual who purposes to join the Association? —Quite so. Ido not see why I should have to pay £176 now, as against £25 in 1880. I objected to pay the £25 in 1880, for I believed then, and I still believe, that no entrance-fee should be charged beyond what is necessary for legal and ordinary expenses. 108. Now, as to the remedy : how do you propose to remedy this?— The only remedy I can see is to repeal the present Electric Lines Act, so far, at least., as the copyright clauses are concerned; or else some fresh clause should be inserted compelling this or any other association to supply its telegrams to any newspaper that is willing to pay scale price for them. They might have a separate scale for each class of newspaper—that is, there might be a first, second, third, and fourth class of papers. The Association might supply according to scale. The large papers in the city would probably require to be supplied according to one scale ; such towns as Napier or Timaru might have different scales. 109. The Chairman.] You mean not for an entrance-fee, but for an annual fee ?—Yes. 110. Do you know whether the Association has a different scale of charges? Have you ever heard of any ? —I think so; I think they are all on the same footing in the different classes. 111. Mr. Pinkerton.] You are aware that the services of the Press Association are open to all newspapers —to all proprietors of newspapers ?—Yes ; to all newspaper-proprietors. 112. As to the object of the entrance-fee, is it your opinion that the object of the entrance-fee is to prevent other newspapers being started ?—Yes ; that is my impression. 113. You mentioned something about the cheaper rate of telegrams which the Association received ?—As compared with the general public 114. Does it mean that any paper can have that concession?— Any newspaper; quite so. 115. Mr. Wilson.] I understood you to say that in Australia a transfer of this right could be made, and that in Australia you had done so : could you not transfer your right here as well ? If you had to sell your paper, would not the right go with it ? —Yes. 116. So that, as you can sell it, it would be a valuable consideration ?—Yes. 117. Do you know anything of the working of the Association ?—No ; I have never been able to find out. I know nothing beyond this : that there are directors in the different centres. 118. You do not know where the money goes to ?—I never knew, and I never knew any news-paper-proprietor who does know. In Victoria we knew where every penny went. 119. It is a considerable addition to the value of a newspaper, is it not, that it should be in the Press Association ? —Yes. 120. Have you given us the ordinary rates for telegrams charged to newspapers if given in within certain hours?— The charge to morning papers is 6d. for a hundred words; if you have to send two words over the hundred you have to pay an additonal 6d. 121. That is the amount the department exacts ?—That is the amount; they collect them next day. 122. In what way do they make a profit?—l believe there is an annual fee which goes to the working of the office. 123. Do you know what it is ?—I do not remember; I have not gone into the question. I was only anxious to get supplied through the Association. 124. Suppose a telegram were sent libelling some person in the district, who would have to pay ? —I think that the paper would have to take all the responsibility, or the proprietor. 125. You think no blame would be attachable to the agent? —-I do not think he would be held solely responsible, so far as I know. 126. The Chairman.] Do you know anything of the paid-up capital of this company?—-No. 127. Would you be surprised if you heard that the whole of the capital of this company is less than £50 ?—I would be surprised. We thought we were working in Victoria very cheaply, and we had £350.

Fbiday, 4th September, 1896. William Dawson Aenott examined. 1. The Chairman.'] What is your occupation ? —T am editor and part proprietor of the Hastings Standard. 2. Is that a daily paper ?—Yes ; a daily evening. 3. How long has it been in existence? —Since the 27th April, 1896. 4. Was there a newspaper in Hastings previously ?—There was formerly, but not for ten years. 5. What is the population of Hastings?—3,2l9, or thereabouts. 6. That is the population of the borough ? —Yes. 7. What is the population of the surrounding district that will be served by the local paper? There are several small towns, such as Olive, Havelock, and others; there are several districts that would be served by the local paper, but I do not know the population of them. lam a stranger there, but I think there are a thousand more inhabitants in the surrounding district. 8. Within a radius of how many miles ?—I am a comparative stranger there; I only arrived there last February.