The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1911-09-08


sions of the so-called "Townsend
Report are based upon clearly
erroneous statements of well
, known facts.
The "Iownsend Report" claims
that a monopoly in harvesting
machinery has been created be-
cause the international owns the
patents on all the best types Of
knOtters.
The truth is that there has
been 90 patent whatever on the
essential parts of any type of
knotter since 1896, when the Ap-
| pleby patent expired. Neither
are there now any patents upon
any essential part of the grain
binder. The many basic patents
had all expired in 1896, ard there
have been 10 substantial patent
ed improvements since 1891
twenty years agO-while the life
of a patent, as is we'll known, is
only seventeen years. That
there are no such patents is
known to every manufacturer Of
harvesters, and is now empha
sized by the fact that other man
ufacturers, including the Min
nesota State Prison, have re
Gently closely initiated the In
ternational S models.
The Townsend Report charges
that Of all of the different types
Of harvesters purchased by the
International, all except three
the "Deering,' IN cCormick. y
and COS borne have been aban-
doned, and that repairs are not
furnished for any others. This
statement is notoriously and alb
solutely untrue. Repairs for
the "AIinnie, y "Buckeye' and
} "Keystone, although not manu-
factured for nearly ten years,
have always been and are still
furnished by the International.
Although the Report states that
the "Cha npion, plano and
milwaukee binders and NOW
ers have ceased to be manufac
,, tured. the truth is that they have
t been since 1902 continuously
: manufactured, and are still man
ufactured by the international
. and are generally sold through,
out the United States. This is
t welI-kuown 10 the farmers and
dealers Of the country.
The Reports charge Of a "bin-
der tWine tfasj IS without any
foundation whatsoever The IL
T ter1ational is not only in constant
and vigorous competition with
the Plymouth Corjage Company
i, and haif dozen other smaller
: tW.ae manufacturers, but also
with seven state penitentlary
! tWjue mills.
J, Since the international was
. organized, binder tWine prices
have steadily fallen, and the de
= crease between 1902 and 1911
amounts to 10 per cent.
The charge that the lnterna
tional has suppressed competl
}. ton in harvesters is likewise un
4 true. It has had continuously
y and still has, the vigorous com
petition of the Johnston, Walter
/ A. Wood, Acme, and Adriance
Platt companies in the binder
trade, aud several others IN the
mower trade Recently tive
n large manufacturers have enter
e ed the trade, while the Minneso
q ia Prison factory compels fre'
/. labor and private capital to com
J, pete with prison labor and puo
!. lie funds in the manufacture o
# harvesters and twine.
The Townsend Report repeats
the ever.recurring ia S e h OF
that binders are sold at a cheap
# er price abroad than ct home
!. The United States Government
r. investigation, in 1909, prove'
y that while the American farme
g pays approximately $4,000 10
Al G-foot binder, in France tht
"a same machine costs Sl13.1O; |
o,Germany, S203 90; 10 Swedef
!. Sl60 50; aud in Great Brl.aif
,e Sl35.16
# la spite Of the fact that mate
rials had increased IN cost NOR
than 30 per cent, and wages NOR
o. than IL per cent, the Intern;
tional did not increase it's pic
- Of binders until three years ag'
" And then an increase OF only
per cent was made. This, hoV
ever, owing to some reduction
re in material, has been largel
r wiped out by an announced r
le duction of 5 per cent for 19l
a. although the cost of labor nj
IN advanced more than 26 per cen