TRUSTS AND "COMBINES."

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 11244, 9 April 1902, Page 5

TRUSTS AND "COMBINES."

TO THE EDITOB OF THE HRESS.

Sir, —There is an outcry throughout the colony over this Miners' Trust. Well, I am not an advocate of trusts of tlhis fonm, but why so much ado over this more than any other trust? There is the sa-wmillers , trust, the brickmflikers'. trust, the shipping companies , trust, the tradesmen's trust, ijhje labourers' trust, the members of Parliament's trust of £300 a year, and in some cases a great deal more, though it is very difficult to find out how much. There «t© some otter trusts not •worth mentioning, bub, one, the brewers' trust, gives the brewers the monopoly of all the hotels in town and ©ounitry, with #he resifit that the rents are so high that the tenants of some of the (hotels can scarcely mnike a living, and have to resort to laiw-%reakang to make ends meet. The 'brewers' wihtfe deign is to get the house tied to ihis browery. The tenant must itaifce his beer, no matter what it may be made ctf. Now, I maintain this is the greatest monopoly of aK. All trusts have a tendency -towards extortion, but none have the same advantages as the brewers, because *he latter "have a free hand to manufacture from what they think will itturn them the most profit. The unions, or trusts, if ire may call them so, have a perfect right <to look after themselves. But it would be as well for them to see that .they do justice to the employer, or else they must defeat their own ends. Now, I think tfhe snfllera' trust is likely to do more good than harm, provided always ib is not overdoes. If it should be so it will not be hard to upset the trust. Everyone who knows anything knows that the farmer is the producer, tie backbone of the community, and in many cases he is often hard up. It is so in every country. He comes to the miller for assistance. He does not go to a miMer wiho is, perhaps, not much better off than (himself. He obtains what he wants, and wht<n \the harvest is over he Ibririgs in his wheat as per agreement. l Thds miller is a very teen buyer; indeed tihe mifler has to be keen, on account of the cutting of the price of flour. Now, the trust ought to put a stop to tlhis cuting. A miller can go to his banker and show him his (position, aod the banker ■will know how- far to go, for he will know the state of the market, .and tihat cutting will not affect ihis security as it did formerly. The mHler can go iisto the market and buy as well as the "other .feEow." This wt'l enable the farmer to obtain the ftrll value of his wheat, for miEers will buy with more spirit. If the farmer is not doing wM the iaboiiring man and the .mechanic will soon f€«l the pinch, but there are always good tames for all when the fawner is prospering.—Yours, etc.. RETIRED OLD FARMER.