418 REPORT ON COOPERATION IN AMERICAN EXPORT TRADE,

not from the usual form of syndicate organization. As a consequence
 of this and also owing to the fact that sales are generally
made through personal solicitation of brokers, very little in the way
of documentary evidence is available.
Leathers, manufactures of —A large manufacturer of sole leather
says that in England the tanners have a central committee for exchange
 of information, etc., which blacklists anyone failing to keep
a contract with one of the members, but a large manufacturer of shoe
leather, exporting 5 per cent of his product, says in answer to this
same question:

To our knowledge they [combinations of buyers] do not exist in our line.
Another manufacturer exporting $50,000 worth of leather says,
specifically :
We have no combination of buyers abroad.
Lumber and manufactures of wood.—One lumber manufacturer
says a large quantity of Pacific coast lumber sold to Japan and China
is. bought by representatives sent over by combinations of various concerns
 in those countries; and another says there is a combination of
buyers of lumber in England “to a certain extent,” one concern getting
 all the orders for lumber bought for the British possessions.
Another manufacturer, who is more specific, gives the following
list of organizations of importers existing before the war: :
1. Syndicate of Lumber Importers of Belgium,
2. South German Lumber Importers of Mannheim.
3. Association of Hamburg Importers.
4. In Italy, one syndicate buys for large proportion of big importers.
A lumber manufacturer who exports his whole product says:
To the best of our knowledge and belief there is a combination of importers
of lumber in Australia; also a combination of retailers. The retailers only
buy from the importers in the combination, and the importers in the combination
 only sell to the retailers in the combination. All retailers are in the
combination, and the question of the price of lumber at this end cuts very little
figure in connection with the selling price in Australia. It is absolutely essential
 for the Australian merchants to form such a combination to protect themselves
 against the continual fluctuations of the price of lumber in the producing
 market. Naturally the importers buy as cheaply as possible and put
all exporters here into competition with each other. So far as redwood is concerned,
 it does not do them any good, as there is a common selling ageney for
these producers and manufacturers, but so far as Oregon pine is concerned,
such combinations in Australia naturally work to the benefit of the Australian
buyer and to the detriment of the American manufacturer.
A manufacturer of lumber, who exports 30 per cent of his output,
says:
We believe there is in England to-day a combination of certain importing
interests that has a governmental connection, working in conjunction with two
or more American exporting firms to the detriment of the pitch-pine manufacturers.
 In addition to this, there is a Spanish interest, having offices in
America, who is seeking to supply all the markets of Spain by acquiring control
 of the entire merchant marine operating from Gulf ports to Spanish ports.
A cooperage firm doing a large export business (two-thirds of its
output) says:
For years the French Stave Trust, commonly known as the “Trio,” with
its headquarters at Bordeaux, controlled the French stave market.
A manufacturer of lasts and last blocks says * there are no such
combinations,” and this is true, generally, of other highly specialized
 products.