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I.—loc

J. H. MORRISON.J

15. Has the number of mills increased ?—Yes ; and there is more up-to-date machinery used. That has to be imported to keep up with the times. 16. Could your trade be improved by the remission of duty on articles used in the trade, or is it essential to place extra duties on certain articles ?—We want some relief to put us alongside those who are in competition with us, in consequence of their longer hours, lower wages, and different conditions of manufacture. The restrictions placed on clothing-manufacturers here, together with the shorter hours of labour and higher wages, are affecting the industry right throughout. 17. Is it in the clothing-manufacture or the cloth-manufacture that you think an alteration ought to be made ? —ln both. In the cloth-manufacture I consider that you ought to put a heavier duty on short lengths. In the clothing-manufacture I think you ought to prohibit the importation of shoddy material altogether. 18. Can you give us the amount of duty required to effect that I —Forty per cent, on short length of cloth. 19. And the other ? —I could not say. You would be surprised to find what shoddy clothing can be done at. A suit can be made to measure for about 7s. 6d. It is perfectly ridiculous, and the policy of the Home people in allowing aliens into London is killing the trade there too. 20. When you say a suit of clothes can be made for 7s. 6d. you do not mean produced, do you 1 — Produced and sold. 21. Can you say what can be done to remedy that ?—Prohibit people from buying it. 22. Mr. Buchanan.] If the Home people manufactured and sent out goods equally free from shoddy as the average New Zealand mills would you then be in a position to compete successfully l . — We are perfectly satisfied with the present duty. At one time —when Sir Julius Vogel and Sir Robert Stout proposed an alteration in the tariff, in 1886—I considered 15 per cent, quite sufficient, and sent a telegram to that effect. 23. The duty has been increased since ?—Yes; to 20 per cent., by the Atkinson Government. 24. Do you think it is enough supposing shoddy goods were not imported ?—I think it is sufficient at present. 25. By what method would you exclude shoddy goods l . Where would you draw the line l . For instance, you have got a duty on woollen goods : you would not prohibit them ? —No; they are not shoddy ; but when cotton is mixed with woollen goods it is a different thing altogether. 26. But cotton is mixed with wool. It is when it is mixed and the woollen cloth is used two or three times over that you object to it I —Yes. Good honest cotton when mixed with wool is not objectionable, although it is not of so good a character as pure wool, nor will it wear so well. 27. Is a little shoddy of any value, say, to .stiffen the cloth >. —No, the very opposite. 28. I have heard people complain of colonially manufactured goods of thoroughly good quality because the clothes became loose and out of shape as soon as they were subjected to ordinary wear ?— All material if not made very firmly will do that. There are lots of people who prefer that style of wear to the stiff cloth. On the other hand, you can always get firm material, not by using shoddy, but by the cloth being felted up in the machines. 29. Or by putting a certain percentage of cotton in it ?—Cotton will make it harder and stiffer. 30. And the cloth will keep its shape better ( —I have never heard of that, but I can believe it would. 31. As an expert, could you without difficulty draw the line between what you have in your mind as shoddy and the general run of cloths sufficiently to enable shoddy cloth to be detected '. —You mean, could I as a supposed expert detect shoddy cloth after a little examination ? 32. Yes ? —I think so, and I think any one could do that who knows anything about the manufacture of cloth. One has only to open it up to tell it at once. 33. Do you think there would be any difficulty in a Customs expert taking a stand on it ?—No ; it could be detected by an expert. 34. Take the case of a working-man who has money enough to buy an ordinary suit made of shoddy, but not sufficient to buy a first-class woollen suit : would it not be a serious disadvantage to him to be forced to go without until he was able to buy a dear suit ?—lt is a very difficult point to put it in that way, but I think that a man who was forced to go without a suit because he could not pay a moderate price would be a very poor man indeed, and I do not think there are many men who cannot buy the cheap suits which are made in New Zealand factories. Besides, the shoddy suits do not last any time ; that is what I complain of. 35. Mr. Hogg.] Have wages increased during the last few years in your line ?—Yes. 36. Very much ? —I should say at least 10 per cent. 37. During how many years is that ? —Within the last ten years. There has been a constant increase in wages and a reduction in the hours of labour. Where we formerly worked fifty-six hours we now work forty-six. 38. Is your machinery made up to date '. —Perfectly so. We had a man from Home to take charge of some new machinery and he told us that he had never been accustomed to such late machinery at Home. 39. Has your machinery for some time been fully employed ?—No. In some departments it has, but in others it has not. We have to mix the different productions in order to keep a constant business going. We cannot afford to run altogether on tweeds or flannels, and we have to keep all classes of goods going. In the weaving we have not been kept going, but in the hosiery department we have been kept going pretty well. 40. Do you think that if the duty were to be largely increased you would be able to reduce prices ? —Undoubtedly. The larger the output the cheaper you can do it. But it is impossible sometimes. 41. I suppose you are aware that the colonial-made blankets are much more expensive than the imported blankets ?—Yes, because you get geniune wool here.