National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-06

much higher than those prices
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. Have you price list
think have In my oyercat.
| Q. Produce Il, II you please.
Mr.. Stanton. Il says about the time vher
the Board ofPublic Works went into operation,
| that would be IN 1871.
Mr.. Wilson. / want to iEsv Tor what yea.
| this price list Is.
The witness. That price Est .ooS r-ect os
the LIST day Of January. ISL, and has continued
| unchanged ever since.
| BY Mr. Wilson: Q. see Il Is adopted by tn,
Eastern Clay Msnufacturers' Association In
convention, December 10, 1872. A. The first
association wss o yearly one, and we reor-
gained every year. This last association WA
made perpetual, and we date from the second
organization. The first association went Into
iorcs the 1st Of January, 1871.
/ T. But this price list seems to have been
adopted on the 10Th of December, 1S12l A. II
Is me same price list a. was In force in 1871.
By Mr.. stanton: Q. Mr.. Ritche, of the firm
OF sperry & Richie, engaged In the manufac-
turs OF sewsr-PiPes At Akron, Ohio, testi1es,
on page 1884, that the following were the
prices at which sewer-pIpes were furnished BY
bis firm to the Board of Public Works: 6-Inch,
| II cents . foot; 9-Inch, think, 20 eents,
| l2-inch, So cents; I5-inch, 81; and 1s-Inch,
s1.l9. (To the witness.) How do those prices
compare with the market rates in the yesi
| 1879, when Mr.. Richie testides that his arm
furnished the pipsl A. Do you mean In Tia
/ year 1871 p. b 80 - -..r ..
O. Yes. A. They were very far below card
rates, and very far below what the average Of
pipe was bringing In the Eastern and Western
markets, and 90 low that no hrst-class factory
could allow them as Q rule aud continue to
| keep their doors open.
| Q. What would be the circumstances which
would justify the furnishing OF sewer pipes at
such rates at that timel A. Oh, sell, a man.
| utacturer could sometimes reasonably do that
| under certain circumstances. In our business
we do not do much In the winter, for instance
II we desire TO keep our doors open and our
men at work, we accumulate largo stocks and
| run out great deal of money, ami . man can
come along IN the winter, and when a large
amount of pipe was paid cash for, we would
sell it to him on the same principle that mau-
ufacturers sometimes send goods to suction;
| TO receive the money on It no matter what tho
cost was. We want the ready money; we will
sell at large loss oftentimes, and under such
eircumSt ances as that, manufacturers would
| sell at those prices, probably. Then, again,
there are years when business Is very dull and
| trade fuctCstes; not much building going on
Those years we accumulate large stock If we
/ run and keep our men under shelter or about
| US, and we are more disposed to sell out in any
| of those years, even losing money on It, so as
| not to get our men scattered or our machinery
| stopped.
q. Would you call the rates thus indicated
as having been procured by the Board of Pub
| lie Works, high or low, at that timel A We
| would call them very low. Here, among the
manufacturers. they are called sheriff prices.
Mr. Stanton. I would like to put In evidence
the price-lst of these particular articles.
BY Mr.. Jewett. (to the w;tness) Q. What
| is the ob]ec; Of that price listi A. To sell the
goods by.
Q. What Is the object of the association A.
To limit discount from becoming too high and
running manufacturers.
| @. Point in that lisf to the discount HElitedl
| A. There Is no discount mentioned on our list;
1t would not be policy to do it.
| @. Who was IL who had made proposition,
| been made, about which you inquire as q mem
Der of the association A. Messrs. Link &
Black, one of the largest houses in the United
States.
Q. Where are they located A. In Phila-
deIphia.
q. How. much lower was their proposition
than the price-list at which you soldl 4. Than
the prices at which actually closed with the
| boardl .- re-
O. Yes. A. Well, should Judge roughly
| that it would net them about 20 per cent. less
than 1 furnished the board at; just roughly,
unless you want 1t exact.
| Q. Why did you inquired 4. l received in
formation of the fact, and it then became my
sworn duty to investigate it. It was really 4
complaint against that house.
| Q. A complaint of what A. That in the
year 1871 they had violated their pledge to the
association, and sold at less than the sssocia-
ton allowed.
0. What was the price allowed by the asso-
citation in 1874 A. The price. Is in that price
list that handed to you, and to certain trades
there was a certain discount allowed for.
Q. Is that mentioned in the psPerl A. No,
sir; we don't mention that This is our card
| price to consumers.
:
architects, and builders we allowed fifteen per
cent. for cash,
Q. Messrs. Link & Black, according to the
rumor, had allowed larger per cent.i A. Yes,
sir.
O. You were sworn officer of the associa-
toni A. Not at that time; not in 1871. was
not, but at the time this complaint was re-
ceiyed was.
Q. Were you at the time you made sale to
the Board of Public Works. A I was; YES,
sir. Do you mean was l an officerl
Q. Yes, sir. 4. No, sir. Twas a member
of the association.
Q. A member Of 1t, and bound By its rulesi
A. Yes, sir.
Q. And as such you had right TO comrlain
of Mr. Linkl A. Yes, sir; as members We have
a right to complain of each other for every
thing and anything.
Y. Upon what principle did you sell at dis
count Of 40 per cent? A. When the sssocia-
ton met in 1S71-we always met in December
IL asked a special dispensation from the as
ISOLATION to furnish the Board of Public Works
in Washington at lower than association rates.
for q certain reason, and the association granted
1t to me and to all the members alike That
lowered the price In this market very much In
deed.
Q. What was the reasonl A. The reason
was that we had competition with foreign pipe.
Q. Any more competition here than else
wherei A. Well, think there was, for the
reason that this was o very large matter In our
line, and we imagined that the importer of
foreign pipe wanted 1t all, and we did not want
him to have It all.
Q. Were the Messrs. Link & Black members
of the association at the time you got that dis
pensationi A. Yes, sir.
Q. Did they make any bidi A. do not
think they did, for sundry reasons. am pretty
sure they did not.
Q. Had you an agent residing in Washing
ton. A. No, sir; not at that time.
| Q. Were you acquainted with Mr.. Wallf
| A. was acquainted with . Captain Wall.
Q. Had you any business relations with hint
a. At that time do you meant
i Q. At any time. A. Oh, yes; since he left
the Board Of Public Works employ he has
been in my employ.
Q. Previous TO his leaving the employ of the
Board of Public Works, had you any business
relations with hInl A. No. sir; none ct all,
except that thought that he was very quick
business man, and he was the party-he WAS
the officer Of the Board Of Public Works that
came more Immediately in contact With in hay
\ ing my account settled.
Q. Did you not come more Immediately
IN contact with him before making your con-
tracti A. never laid my eyes on him before
the contract was consumnated, that know
of.
Q. Nor any agent OF yoursi A. Well, sir,
cannot answer FOR that. Mr.. Jenkins might
have seen Captain Wall; but not that know
Of. The first that 1 heard of Captain Wall
was, thiuk-
q. Did Mr.. Jenkins or any other person COM
municsts 20 you the fact that Captain Wall
was representing you In your negotiations with
the Boa.d Of Public Worksl A. No, sir; posi-
lively not. The first heard Of Captain Wall
was about three or four months, think, after
We began TO supply the goods, and then when
I came down TO see how the goods were getting
along, and what was the amour. due US, &C.,
I was refe rIed to Captain Wall Is the superin-
tendent OF property. Then came in contact
with him, and found that he was very quick
man and shrewd.
Q. How long were ycC engaged Ia tho
delivery Of these pipesl A. think We eoE-
p,oncsd In Jauuarv nf 1CT2 anil Oiir final shin