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made a very clear and emphatic statement as to what would happen in New Zealand if the trust was allowed to have its fling. 'The American Harvester Trust,' he stated, 'will adopt such measures as it finds necessary to secure the New Zealand trade. It will strangle this trade for a surety. It now sells binders here at from £40 to £45, and the same machines are sold at from £20 to £25 in the States, so that it has got something to work on. The binder trade is only part of its business, for it manufactures a general line of farm implements and machinery, and it is now making implements for export from the best colonial patterns. Some of the local firms here— and by the way, all the implement-manufucturers in New Zealand, with the exception of Reid and Gray, of Dunedin, are in Christchurch —seem to think they will weather the storm; but those who know the working of the enormous combinations of capital, and who are aware of the facilities for cheap production possessed by the trust, know that nothing can withstand its onslaught in countries like Australia and New Zealand, where the local manufacturers have not the same facilities. The International people will be able to maintain very high jjrices for their goods, and yet be able to undersell the local firms.' ' That is Mr. Mcßride's evidence, and having been manager for some years of the Massey-Harris Company, he ought to know what he is talking about. Then, I have here a copy of the evidence given before the Royal Commission in Australia on the 10th April of this year, principally in connection with the Harvester Trust and the Sunshine Harvester, an Australian make of machine which, however, is now being made in America, and sold in Australia at a lower price than the locally made article. [Exhibits handed in.] This document that I have in my hand is a statement by an American farmer. We attach so much importance to it thai I will read what he says about trusts. He was asked the other day in Christchurch, " How do farmers in Arfierica view the Harvester Trust?" and this is his reply: " They dislike it intensely. It follows there the methods with which you are familiar. The trust lays itself out to buy up all small busineses, and until it has succeeded in overcoming all competition it keeps prices down as low as possible ; but it soon makes up for lost time, and when it has the field to itself it bumps prices up high. It is on the money-making game every time. I tell you right here, keep it out of this country if you can, for if you do not you will bitterly regret it in five years' time. I cannot repeat too strongly that it is viewed by American farmers with extreme disfavour." Some people do not attach much importa7ice to newspaper interviews, so Mr. Cooper got a declaration to this effect from Mr. Miller: "I, J. S. Miller, of Macon, Missouri, United States, farmer, being approached by Messrs. Cooper and Duncan (Limited), hereby certify that the statements re the effects of the International Harvester Trust in America, and my advice as to preventing their operations in New Zealand as made in the Truth newspaper of the 7th October were made in all seriousness, and are entitled to the serious consideration of those in power in New Zealand. I have been unknown to Messrs. Cooper and Duncan up to the date of this." Tins is dated the 14th October, 1905, and is signed by Mr. Miller. [Exhibit handed in. ] That is all the evidence, gentlemen, that 1 have to present to you this morning. John Duncan, Partner in P. and D. Duncan (Limited), of Christchurch, made a statement. (No. 10.) Witness: Mr. Chairman and gentlemen,—ln putting before you the proposition for the imposition of a duty on implements that we can manufacture in New Zealand, we have gone to considerable trouble to look through English catalogues and compare the prices with those that we are charging for the same class of implements manufactured in New Zealand, in order to show that the New Zealand farmer has never been unduly charged for : mplements as against the English farmer. We might say that we are not asking for a duty on small ploughs of under ljcwt., so the small farmer will not be handicapped in that way. You have a list before you of the articles on which we are asking for this duty, and I would like to read these extracts that we have taken from the English catalogues, and compare them with our own prices. These prices are those of Messrs. P. and D. Duncan, but the other manufacturers' are much the same. The comparison will show that although we have to bring the raw material thirteen thousand miles, the English farmer ha>. to pay as much for his implements as the colonial farmer. Take Kell and Co.'s drills. They make a combined drill, 8 ft. wide, to sow all sorts of seed, at from £46 155., delivered at Gloucester only. P. and D. Duncan make a 15-coulter drill, 8 ft. 0 in. wide, for £47. Tin's price includes eight turnip coulters £2, one canvas cover 15s, and railage to any station on the Hurunui-Bluff section, or freight to any main port in New Zealand, the average freight or railage paid being £1 10s. Messrs. J. Smyth and Sons, of Suffolk, whose establishment is the oldest drill-factor}' in the world, catalogue a 15-coulter Nonpareil drill, 8 ft. wide, at £36 12s. 6d., railage paid for 1.00 miles from London. P. and D. Duncan's 15-coulter drill will do exactly the same work, and is sold for £35, delivered to any station on the Hurunui—Bluff section or any main port in New Zealand. With regard to double-furrow ploughs, Messrs. Ransom, Sims, and Jeffries, of Ipswich, catalogue their colonial plough marked SHD at £16 155., the weight being 5901b. Railage is not paid. P. and D. Duncan's R6.2 double-furrow plough weighs 728 Ib., and is delivered at any station on the Hurunui-Bluff section or at any main port, for £18 10s. This shows that we supply a plough of 1381b. extra weight at practically the same money. Coming to tip carts. Messrs. Barrow and Co., of Banbury. supply a two-horse cart to carry 40 cwt. at £22 2s. 6d. at Banbury. P. and D. Duncan sell a tip cart, with 2J in. axle, for £23 155., railage being paid to any station on the Hurunui-Bluff section. With respect to traction-wagons, Messrs. J. and H. McLaren, of Leeds, make an 8-ton wagon which they sell at £95 : Messrs. Marshall. Sons, and Co.. of Gainsborough, sell a 10-ton traction-wagon at £105: while Messrs. P. and D. Duncan's price for an 8-ton traction-lorry is £85. That is delivered at Christchurch Station. Messrs. McLaren and Marshalls mention in tfieir catalogues that they supply sides and doors which they charge extra for, but the average wagon, taking wagons as we make them in the colony, is considerably higher in price in England than here. In Cambridge rollers, Messrs. Nicholson

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