1.—9.

16

[P. COOPEB.

the trust price-list. All I have got here is the Osborne list for 1905—-before the Osborne Company went into the trust —compared with Cooper and Duncan's list, which is approximately the same as all the others. I have shown the similar machines in two tables here. 5. Do you show the cost-price landed here, or the price in America? —The price that I have shown in both is the retail price in this colony. On the other side of the statement I have given Massey-Harris prices, but I could only get a 1903 list. Alongside that I put a Cooper and Duncan 1903 list. That is all the information on the point that it has been possible to get, in compliance with your request, up till now. Peter Trolove, Managing Director, Messrs. Booth, Macdonald, and Co., Christchurch, made a statement. (No. 8.) Witness: Exhibit H, which I hold in my hand, shows the prices charged by the trust compared with prices ruling before it commenced operations. The most important item shown in the exhibit is with reference to the Australian harvester. The price in Australia, where there is competition, is .£BS, and in the Argentine, where there is no competition, it is £140. This, I may say, is a machine that was made in Australia—you might say it was evolved in Australia ; but the Americans came along, pirated this machine, brought it back to Australia, and are selling it in competition with the original inventors. I think that is an unfair position. In the Argentine, as I say, they are getting £140 for it, as against £85 in Australia where there is competition, so we think we can look for the same sort of treatment here. The price of binders in America, according to Mr. Miller, the American farmer, who is at the present time in New Zealand, was $100 before the trust was formed, white after it had been at work for some time the price was from $130 to $140. [Exhibit handed in.] This Exhibit I is, I think, the most important one of the lot, because in it is embodied the reductions that we are prepared to make to the farmer and our proposals. You have heard about the proposal we make with regard to duty—the ratio of 1 to 4. We ask " (1) For no duty upon harvesting machinery, hay-making machinery, traction or oil engines, dairy machinery, or on other machinery not at present being manufactured in the colony; (2) for no duty on the following articles required by small farmers, such as small ploughs under ljcwt., cultivators under 2cwt., hand-drills and chaff-cutters under 9 in. mouth, these being so low in price that any duty would affect the price of them." To show that we were in earnest in our endeavour to conserve the interests of the small farmers, I might say that when we met together we had quite a long discussion on this point—the small ploughs. Some <of us could see our way to make these small ploughs if we had the duty on, but we thought we should be conserving the interests of the small farmer if we left the small ploughs under 1 J cwt: out, and the same with chaff-cutters. We could make small chaff-cutters successfully, but we have specified here that a chaff-cutter with less than a 9 in. mouth shall also be free. I think it would be well if I were to read the important parts of this schedule. We have only eight lines here that we ask for duty on —ploughs over ljcwt., harrows (tine and disc), drills, rollers (land and Cambridge over 7 cwt.), cultivators and grubbers over 2 cwt., chaff-cutters 9 in. mouth and over and selfbagging, and seed-cleaners. The duty is worked out in the proportion of Ito4 in the last column. There is another matter in which we are considering the small farmer —and the big farmer too, as far as that goes: we suggest that all implements from the United Kingdom shall be admitted dutyfree. Taking the reductions set out in the schedule, on ploughs of all kinds over ljcwt., the list price varies from £6 ss. to £28. We have agreed to reduce these by 10s. per furrow, in which case the duty we suggest would be £2. On tine harrows the reduction agreed upon is 2s. 6d. per leaf. The price varies from £3 10s. to £11 10s. With disc harrows the price ranges from £12 to £20, and the reduction is Is. 6d. per disc. Drills, combined grain, seed and manure, 10 coulters and over, the price varies from £35 to £52; the reduction is £3, and the duty would be £12. Drills, combined grain, seed, and manure, under 10 coulters, price from £32 to £36 10s.; reduction £1, duty £4. Grain-drills, price £26 to £37 10s.; reduction £1, duty £4. Rollers, land and Cambridge, over 7 cwt. —we do not want to hamper the trade in lawn-rollers, though'we could make them quite as well —price from £15 10s. to £30 10s.; reduction £1, duty, £4. Cultivators and grubbers over 2 cwt. —we do not seek to interfere with the large trade that is done by the local ironmonger in the small garden-cultivators, of which there is a large number used in the country, though we could and do make them —price £12 to £24 10s. ; reduction £1, duty £4 Chaff-cutters, 9 in. mouth and over, price £8 10s. to £26; reduction 3 os., duty £2. Self-bagging chaff-cutters, price £50 to £150; reduction £3, duty £12. Seed-cleaners, price £6 10s. to £30, reduction 10s., duty £2. 6. Sir W. E. E-ussell.] Do you not deal in the larger seed-cleaners? —Yes. Andrews and Beaven did make them. . 7. I mean a 4001b. or 5001b. cleaner? —Yes. The seed-cleaner mentioned here is the small seed-clear.er. We do not ask for any duty on the larger ones. [Exhibit handed in.] Donald Charles Cameron, Jun., representing Messrs. Reid and Gray, Dunedin, examined. (No. 9.) 8 The Chairman.'] Will you make your statement, Mr. Cameron ?—My duty this morning will be very light. All I have to do is to lay on the table some extracts from American papers which will show you how the trust is operating in America. There is no need for me to read them all to you; you can peruse them for yourselves. I have also some cuttings from Australian papers which will'give you an idea of how the trust has already acted in the Commonwealth. I have here also a report of an interview with Mr. T. J. Mcßride, of Papanui, Christchurch, which I shall read- "Mr. T. J. Mcßride, of Papanui, who, before settling in New Zealand three years ago, was vice-president and general manager of the Massey-Harris Implement Company of Canada,