Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1911-09-02
INTERNATIONAL HARVESTER COM
PANY REPLIES
The Facts Set Forth Regarding the At
tack of the Unsigned and Mislead-
ing Townsend Report

During the last month there nave
been widely circulated certain state
ments regarding the international
Harvester Company, all of which
have their origin i'm report made
more than five years ago by Assistant
District Attorney Townsend, after a
brief and partial investigation.
The international Harvester Com
pany has presented to the Stanley
committee at Washington complete
and vigorous answer in which it is
pointed out that the arguments and
conclusions of the so-called '"Town-
send Report" are based upon clearly
erroneous statements of well known
facts.
The Townsend Report" claims
that monopoly in harvesting ma
chinery has been created because the
international owns the patents on
all the best types of knotters.
The truth is that there has been
no patent whatever on essential parts
or any type of knotter since 1896,
when the Appleby patent expired.
Neither are they now any patents
upon any essential part of the grain
binder. The many basic patents
had all expired in 1896, and there
have been no substantial patented
Improvements since 1891 = twenty
years ago-while the life. of patent
as is well known is only seventeen
years. That there are no such pat
ents is known to every manufacturer
OF harveSters, and is now emphasized
by the fact that other manufacturers
including the Minnesota State pris-
on have recently closely initiated the
International's models.
The Townsend Report charges that
of all the different types of harvest
ers purchased by the International,
all except three Deering, Nc
Cormick and Osborne - have been
abandoned, and that repairs are
not furnished for any others. This
statement is VIGOROUSLY and abso-
lutely untrue. Repairs for the Min
ME, Buckeye and Keystone, although
not manufactured for nearly ten
years have always been and are sill
furnished by the International. Al
though the report states that the
Champion, Plano and Milwaukee
binders and mowers have ceased to
be manufactured, the truth is that
they have been since 1902 continuous
ly manufactured, and are still manu-
featured by the International and
are generally sold throughout the
United States. This is well known
to the farmers and dealers of the
country.
The Reports charge of binder
Irvine trust is without any founda-
ton whatsoever. The international
is not only in constant and vigorous
competition with the Plymouth Cor
dage company and half dozea or
more other smaller Irvine manufact-
urers, but also with seven state peni-
Tertiary Irvine mills.
Since the international was organ
lied. binding Irvine prices have stead
lily fallen, and the decrease between
1902 and 1911 amounts to 40 per cent.
The charge that the International
has suppressed competition in har-
vesterS is likewise untrue. 1t has
had continuously, and still has, the
vigorous competition of the John
ston, Walter A. Wood, Acme and
Adriance-Platt companies in the bin
der trade, and several other in the
mower trade. Recently two large
manufacturers have entered the
trade, while the Minnesota Prison
| factory compels free labor and pri-
vate capital to compete with prison
labor and public funds in the manu-
facture of harvesters and Irvine.
The Townsend Report repeats the
ever recurring falsehood that binders
are sold at cheaper price abroad
than at home. The United States
Government investigation in 100!
proved that while the American
farmer pays approximately S125. on
for a 6-foot binder, in France thi:
same machine costs S173. 10; in Ger
1 many, S203. 90; in Sweden, $16O. so
and in Great Britain, SI35.16.
In spite of the fact that MATERIAL
had increased in cost more than B
per cent, and wages more than II pc
cent, the International did not in
crease its price of binders until thre
years ago. And then an increase o
only per cent was made. This, how
ever, owing to some reductions il
material, has been largely wiped on
by an announced reduction of 5 pc
cent for 1912, although the cost o
labor has advanced more than 20 pc