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Howard Coonley, president of the Walworth Manufacturing Co.,
manufacturers of brass castings, Boston, Mass., said:

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EXCERPTS FROM HEARINGS.

The last point, and the one you are specially interested in, is the question of
combining to sell; that is, two or three people in kindred lines, competitive
lines, being allowed to sell in that country. It seems to me that the only way
we can hope to get business is by direct representation. For instance, in South
America we sold for a great many years to the export companies and the commission
 houses, and our business amounted to $10.000 or $15.000 a year, which
we got at extremely low prices. :
As soon as we put our own representative down there, we began to feel the
benefits of it, and after a year our business was ten times what we had handled
through the export houses. It seems to be impossible for anybody to compete
for that trade unless they have their own representative down there. 1 urge,
If it were possible, to have manufacturers in kindred lines allowed to sell goods.

For instance, we make a great many steam fitters’ tools—pipe wrenches,
for instance. It seems to me it would be distinctly good—supposing that were
the only line we made—if we could be allowed to sell our goods through the
same channel as some manufacturer who made chains, which we do not make.
Those are kindred lines, because they go to the same concerns—the plumber or
steam fitter. Anything that goes to the same trade would be kindred.
L. D. Sale, president of the Western Wholesale Drug Co., Los
Angeles, Cal., does not think “ it necessary to go into a common selling
 agency with your competitors,” but rather a “combination of
several people representing different lines; that is, the one man representing
 one house 1n each line.”
Stephen L. Bartlett, president of Stephen L. Bartlett Co., manufacturers
 of cocoa and chocolate, Boston. Mass.. said:

Briefly I can say this: That If there is some way in which I could combine
with some other interests who would take an interest, I would like to do it.
But it would not pay us to send representatives to South America to develop this
one thing.
5. DISADVANTAGES OF AMERICAN EXPORT COMBINATIONS.
Competing Lines.

Concerning the disadvantages of combinations in the export trade
Welding Ring, president of the American Exporters &amp; Importers’
Association, an organization of export and import commission merchants,
 New York City, said:

In regard to selling agencies, I fully realize the very large manufacturers,
such as the Harvester Co., the Standard Oil Co., the Singer Sewing Machine
Co., and some others, having specialties, only one line, practically, can accomplish
 more business by having their own representative on the spot, who is
thoroughly familiar with the goods that they are handling; who knows how
to explain and demonstrate them and get their orders in return.
As regards the smaller manufacturers I have never yet seen the great benefit
that some have supposed there existed in the combination of a number of small
manufacturers to send out a single representative... The drawbacks to that
method are many. First, such a party going .out has to learn the entire field
in which he is to operate. That means he must learn the chsagacteristics of
customers from whom he expects orders. - He must also learn their financial
standing, as to whether they are entitled to credit, and the usual requirements
from time to time. In addition, he must be ready, at all times, to cable or
write for goods and have them come out to suit the parties to whom he is
selling. In order te do that it is necessary to have your representatives in
the large cities all the time, and if a combination of small manufacturers goes
out, they must establish these same agencies in all the various large cities.
That is not practicable, because it is too expensive, and while it might seem
desirable, vet, I think, during the past 9 or 10 months, some of these manufac-