SPECIAL REPORTS FOR FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION, 163

in some instances, existing governmental machinery to further their
purposes. In British Columbia the salmon canners took advantage
of a regulation of the fisheries department permitting the issue of
salmon canning licenses only to those I in the industry, the
object of the regulation being not to exhaust the supply of fish. The
result has been that the salmon canners have combined, and not only
included all the Canadian firms, but also the canners of adjoining
arts of the United States. The Canadian firms in the combine were
Further protected by a government regulation which forbids Canadian
 fishermen to export fish.
Independent establishments—While the merging of industrial
combinations has in many lines eliminated.some unnecessary competition
 and competition generally has been considerably reduced,
except in a very few instances, there would appear to be no single
consolidation absolutely controlling the market in its particular line.
And in some instances it is considered that some of the recent mergers
 in Canada have invited competition rather than dispelled it.
In the case of Canadian Consolidated Felts (Ltd.), some of the largest
shareholders of the different companies amalgamated were not in
favor of the merger, but no heed was paid to their protests and the
amalgamation was completed. These shareholders decided upon
competition and established independent factories close to the plants
of the merger. The same thing happened in the case of Amalgamated
 Asbestos. With the publicity incident to a public issue of
stocks and bonds and the advertising of the industry in the most
attractive terms new competition was encouraged, and another association—Black
 Lake Asbestos—was promoted.
In some instances, however, independent companies constitute a
very small proportion of those engaged in the industry. The Canada
Leather Co. is said to control 75 per cent of the total output of
the leather used in the Canadian boot, shoe, bag, and trunk trades.
The Canada Car &amp; Foundry Co.’s capacity was reported in 1912
to be 70 cars per day, the combined capacity of all other car companies
 in Canada at that time probably not being over 10 freight
cars per day. In another field the percentage of market control is
i great. The Dominion Canners. (Ltd.) control more than 90
per cent of the output of canned fruit and vegetables in Ontario.
This fact is significant when it is remembered that of the total quantity
 consumed in Canada, Ontario produces 95 per cent. However,
as- previously mentioned, there are many lines in which industrial
combinations have been formed, but in which many independent
concerns continue to operate.
Foreign and international combinations.—There are represented in
Canada a number of combinations of an international character.
Any tendency toward the international amalgamation of industries
has been chiefly toward combination between American and Canadian
 interests, and there has been very little in the way of alliances
with British or European establishments. There has not been much,
either, in the way of operation in Canada by large British or European
 combinations.
The International Cotton Mills Corporation, of New York State,
is believed to have acquired or proposes to acquire two or more
Canadian cotton mills. Friendly relations also are thought to exist