THE HARVESTER TRUST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13499, 28 May 1907, Page 5

THE HARVESTER TRUST.

'A PROSECUTION ORDERED., By Telegraph.— Association.— ; New York, May 26. President Roosevelt has ordered the prosecution of the International Harvester Trust, on the charge of restraining trade." The proceedings have been instituted in Chicago. The Tobacco Trust is also being prosecuted on a similar charge.

1 The Harvester Trust makes farming machinery, and its operations extend to the British colonies. The Australian Custqms authorities have taken action against the company, by Customs valuations, for the protection of local manufacturers. ?■ A prosecution is now proceeding in the United States against the Standard Oil Company by the Federal Attorney-General on the charge of being an unlawful combination, acting by conspiracy against trade.

THE TOBACCO TRUST. SOME WELLINGTON. OPINIONS. [BY telegraph.— OWN CORRESPONDENT.] I . ~ Wellington, Monday. i In view of the cable message announcing [President Roosevelt's prosecution of the | American Tobacco Trust; the Post has been making some inquiries in Wellington. "Our main grievance against the trust," said a local retailer, "is that we cannot go to the, warehouse and make terms for large quantities of tobacco. The merchants are .supplied with "Schedules, and they are not allowed to seM at any" price except the ones marked.: This may be [done to prevent competition amongst ware- | houses,'-but' it 'stops free business. We i could buy. much cheaper before the trust came than we cam now." I Mr. D. Nathan, of the. firm of Messrs. i Nathan and Co, ? said that a local; tobacconist started manufacturing cigarettes, and developed an appreciable business in this line. He was cut off the trust's list, and no explanation was offered'- Mr. Nathan, gave instances of men who had been dealing in a couple of non-trust lines of tobacco, and who were obliged to desist in the face of. a threat that the trust lines. would be stopped. ; Messrs. Nathan and Co., when they' were handling trust lines, once sent for a shipment; to Melbourne. " We won't supply you unless- you sell our goods around Wellington," said the trust. I Later on the firm took over the J agencies of a"' • couple of lines which smaller " firms ; were "afraid to retain, audi of course .Messrs, Nathan were definitely isolated. However, they managed to get supplies of trust tobacco from local merchants, and they also found that the retailers, whose feeling was against the trust, were supporting them. "We believe that the trust is willing for - s us to join' in the combination now," continued Mr. Nathan. " They are anxious for us to join and still let us keep our agencies, ! but the local agent wants us to sign a list and undertake to sell goods at stated prices. We : refuse to do this, because we can produce proof that other merchants ,do riot keep to the prices." He added that he personally had nothing to say against the< trust's agent. Discussing the question generally, Mr. Nathan held that it was not wrong for the persons running a proprietary article to try to fix a price for it for their own' safety and to enable all the person's handling the goods to make a living, but he submitted that the ; tobacco trust's methods of doing this thing were un-English. It is stated by a commercial man largely interested. in the tobacco trade here that the American Tobacco Company of New! York, which President Roosevelt is prose-; cuting, does no business in New Zealand, j Some years ago there was an "American! Tobacco Company of New Zealand," but; owing to confusion with the American Trust this company's name was changed to the British Empire Trading Company.