I.—lo.

34

[w. ISAAC.

it from the association ; not only that, but they wrote to merchants in this city and told them not to supply me with flour or they would not supply them. 52. Who told you, first of all, that there was to be any trouble about your getting flour ? — Mr. Mitchell, of Laery and Co., was one. 53. Did he tell you why ?—Yes. 54. What did he say ? —That the association was formed, and they were not going to let those have flour unless they kept in line. 55. In line with the Bakers' Union price ?—Yes. 56. You were told that the Millers' Association were really working with the Bakers' Union to make you charge a certain price for your bread ?—Yes. 57. What price were you charging for the 41b. loaf?—I think it was sd. 58. Was that the cash price ?—Yes. 59. You did a cash trade ?-- I did both. 60. You sold for sd. cash ?—Yes. 61. Did you charge any more for booking?— Sometimes we did, but I cannot remember whether we did at that particular time. I think the price booked was 6d. 62. Were you carrying on your business at a loss at that time ? —No. 63. You always paid your way ?—Yes. 64. And always got your discount ? —Yes ; I paid every month. 65. What did Mr. Mitchell say ?—As near as I can tell you, I have told you that they could not supply me with any more flour. 66. Why ? —Because the association would stop supplying them with flour. 67. Did he tell you why the association would scop supplying them? —The reason was well known. 68. What was it ? —Because it was trying to bring those who were outside tbe Bakers' Union into the Bakers' Union. 69. Did you get any more flour immediately from Laery and Co. ?—No. 70. What did you do ? —Well, a traveller from Auckland came round just about that time — Virtue and Co.'s traveller—representing the Northern Boiler Mills. 71. Did you manage, by one means and another, to get all the flour you wanted?— Yes. 72. Did you buy any flour outside New Zealand ? —Yes. 73. Where?—l bought it from another merchant, Baldwin and Co., and from Eeeves and Co. I got some Manitoban flour. 74. Was that from Sydney ?—Yes. 75. Did you get South Australian flour ?—Yes ; from Adelaide. 76. And you were put to the trouble of going to an outside market through the action of the Millers' Association ?—Yes. 77. Since some of the mills that were formerly in the association have started running as free mills have you had any difficulty in buying your flour ?—No. 78. You can buy it anywhere now ? —Yes. 79. You never have had any difficulty with your merchant in paying for your flour ?—No ; but two of the mills outside the association would not supply me with flour on account of the combination. 80. Which were they ?—Paterson and Co. and Thomas and Co. 81. They are two merchants ? —Yes ; they are agents. One is agent for Golden Gem, and the other for Silver Dust. 82. Then, you could not get the Golden Gem and Silver Dust flours?— No. 83. Then, if Mr. Mitchell said that any baker could have got any amount of Golden Gem and Silver Dust flour, what do you say to that ? —They would not sell to me. They simply said they had not the flour to supply me with; but Paterson's told me straight out that they could not supply me. 84. Why ? —Because the association had agreed with them or written to them in reference to the matter. 85. Something had happened ?—Yes ; I could not get it from them why they would not supply me. 86. You have never defaulted in any of your payments for flour ?—No. 87. You have always paid for it ? —Yes. 88. Did you make any close inquiries into the operations of the Flour-millers' Association ?— No, I did not. 89. You simply did the best you could in the interests of your business ? —Yes. 90. Mr. Rutherford.] Is there a Bakers' Union in Wellington ?—Yes. 91. Do you belong to it ?—No. 92. The Chairman.] What do you consider is the extra value of Adelaide flour as compared with New Zealand flour?— Very often there is no difference in value—New Zealand is equal to Adelaide flour. 93. It has been given in evidence that you can get four or five more 4 lb. loaves out of a sack of Adelaide flour ?—Yes, there would be a little advantage in that way. 94. That would be about £1 on tbe total number of sacks in a ton ?—I dare say it would come to that. 95. When you could not get flour here, and had to buy Sydney or Adelaide flour, how much had you to pay for it ? —I think they reduced the price to nearly the New Zealand price, as far as I can remember. There might have been a little difference, but not much. 96. Was it a loss to you, then, in not being able to get New Zealand flour ?—I suppose it was not much loss, but it was rather awkward when we had sometimes to wait until the flour came in. 97. You thought, at any rate, that 6d. per 4 lb. loaf was a fair enough remuneration for your bread ?—Yes.