Holding(s) in Company

RNS Number:8135T
Smiths Group PLC
05 January 2004


05 January 2004

SCHEDULE 10

NOTIFICATION OF MAJOR INTERESTS IN SHARES

1. Name of company: Smiths Group plc

2. Name of shareholder having a major interest: Franklin Resources, Inc.

3. Please state whether notification indicates that it is in respect of holding
of the shareholder named in 2 above or in respect of a non-beneficial interest
or in the case of an individual holder if it is a holding of that person's
spouse or children under the age of 18

Notification by Franklin Resources, Inc. and its affiliates which includes
Franklin Mutual Advisers, LLC and Templeton Worldwide, Inc. and its affiliates.

4. Name of the registered holder(s) and, if more than one holder, the number of
shares held by each of them

Bank of New York Europe Limited                              15,400
Bank of New York, London                                    594,814
Chase Nominees Limited                                   45,250,713
Citibank Nominees Limited                                   605,401
Euroclear                                                    18,150
HSBC Bank                                                    46,126
Mellon Bank                                               1,436,934
Merrill Lynch                                             1,243,400
Northern Trust Company                                    1,094,710
Royal Trust Corporation of Canada                         3,107,964
State Street Nominees Limited                             3,501,475

5. Number of shares / amount of stock acquired: Not disclosed

6. Percentage of issued class: N/A

7. Number of shares / amount of stock disposed: Not disclosed

8. Percentage of issued class: N/A

9. Class of security: Ordinary shares of 25p

10. Date of transaction: Not disclosed

11. Date company informed: 05 January 2003

12. Total holding following this notification: 56,915,087 (as at 31 December
2003)

13. Total percentage holding of issued class following this notification:

10.146%

14. Any additional information

15. Name of contact and telephone number for queries: Neil Burdett, 020 8457
8229

16. Name and signature of authorised company official responsible for making
this notification: Neil Burdett

17. Date of notification: 05 January 2004


                      This information is provided by RNS
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