SPECIAL REPORTS FOR FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION. - 245

The companies do not seek a monopoly, however, as there are
hotels, river-transportation companies, suppliers of fresh meat,
steamship companies and other competing enterprises, all outside of
the group, also established in the colony, and, in many instances,
their scale of operation is quite as great as that of-the group comanies:

° Beside the * Thys group ” there is the combination known as the
* Société Général” and one or two others of lesser importance. In
the Katanga district the copper mines, railway, and a construction
enterprise are operated by a similar group of capitalists.
European addresses, legislation, etc—On account of the war the
headquarters of the various members of the “Thys group” and of
other Belgian companies have been temporarily established in London,
 England, and the present addresses are not known here. Communications
 addressed to them care of the Banque du Congo Belge,
51 Lime Street, London, E. C., England, will undoubtedly reach the
proper destination.
No information as to the names of the members of these companies,
date of formation thereof, etc., is available, nor have any publications
 upon the subject appeared. As far as can be learned from local
authorities, no legislation as to the formation of combinations in
Kongo has been made. There are no combinations of buyers of different
 lines of American or other goods in the colony and no organizations
 of consumers, retailers, jobbers, or importers. .
The colonial government has taken no steps designated to foster
the foreign trade of Kongo, except in lowering export duties when
the rubber crisis of 1912 threatened to seriously injure the colony’s
chief industry—rubber gathering. Since the outbreak of war the
government has been studying a project for financing the exportation
 of ivory and certain other tropical products, But as yet no
Jefinite results have been effectuated.

AUSTRALIA.

Special report of Consul General J. I. Brittain, Sydney, Australia, November
22. 1915. 3

Australia being as yet more of a primary than a secondary producer,
 especially of exportable commodities, it is obvious that forma.
lion of syndicates or combinations to control the selling of manufactured
 goods in markets beyond its own borders could not have
been attempted on anything like a comprehensive scale. Australian
export statistics show clearly that wool, metals, hides and skins,
butter, apples, coal, meat, and a few other similar products are responsible
 for a very large share of the total. Such producing as is
lone in lines ordinarily described as “ manufactured goods” is applied
 almost exclusively to’ satisfying the domestic demand. The
Commonwealth’s list of factories is a fairly long one, but the aggregate
 capital investment is relatively Sil and the number of employees
 commensurate therewith. In spite of its extensive geographical
 area the country’s population is still below the 5,000,000
mark, and is largely centered in the coast cities. The rural districts
are but sparsely settled, and constitute, therefore, no conspicuous factor
 in the equation of consumption. No doubt its isolated position