The news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1882-1891, 1882-08-10
THE MATCH DroNOPOLy.


SIR-You have alluded several
times during the past year to the rev.
enue tax on matches, medicines, &c.,
and declared in favor of their sboli-
ton. You stated a short time ago
that the large manufacturers did not
care to have the tax taken of, as it
prevented small firms from going into
the business. Now the fact is that
the match business is giant monopo-
", all the manufacturers, except one
or two small firms, being consolidated
in one organization, with president,
secretary, treasurer and directors -
This was done by taking the machin-
cry, stock of goods, materials, etc, Of
all the parties joining the organiza-
ion, at an appraised valuation, and is
suing stock for the same. Then clos
ing up some Of the establishments, re-
moving the machinery, stock, etc., and
concentrating the skilled laborers,
they are running the rest as branch
establishments. All the lumber and
chemicals are bought through the
same channel for the trade of the
United States, all the stamps bought
at one lot for all the branch factories,
the discount allowed on them being
much greater than the ,gregate of
discounts to the individual frms-and
there is now no cutting of prices, but
uniform scale for all sections, luci-
fers going from $3.50 per gross Of
boxes Goo each) to $2.1O after con-
solicitation.
To show how great that the SEEM
ingly slight tax of one cent per box,
really is, it is only necessary to cal
culate how much you pay for matches
and how much for stamps when you
buy gross of sulphur matches. If
the price is $2.l0, you pay $1.44 for
stamps Gone cent on each box) and
81 for the matches, or tax Of about
220 per cent on the selling price Of
the matches without the tax. It is
eaisly seen that the small maDufac-
turer stands but poor chance when
he must have more than twice as
much capital in stamps as in stock of
goods. Taking into consideration the
labor of stamping and the interest on
capital used for stamps, it is fair to
suppose that matches could be sold
for so per gross Of boxes when the
tax is removed.
You remark that Senator Bayard
in advocating the retention Of tax on
matches had made mistake, lost an
opportunity. But the Senator knew
better than to disobey the mandate OF
the powerful lobby watching the In
terests of the match business Swift
& Courtney, Of Wilmington, Del,
Philadelphia, New York and New
Haven, Conn.,, are perhaps the most
wealthy and powerful of the mem
bers of the confederation. The Bar
Der Match Co., Akron, O.; Byam,
Boston, Mass; Gates, Frankfort, N. Y
| Clark, Oshkosh. Wis; Mansfield, St.
Louis, are all very wealthy, estimated
to be worth millions each, and there
are several others scattered over the
country of lesser note, some of whom
arc now only stockholders IN the new
organization, their factories having
been absorbed and obliterated.
Although the House has voted to
abolish the tax on matchse, medicines,
etc., | still have my doubts of its abo-
lition by the present Congress, be-
cause the influence that can be
brought to bear against it is SO power.
full and extends in the way I have
mentioned over SO great an extent Of
territory, resching so many members
through their constituents.
j. ID.
Mount Holly, New jersey, July