The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-07-28
Combinations in Stoves, Matches and
PaDer.

There has been, since 1872, national
combination OF the manufacturers of the
stoves into which the combination coal
must be put; and its effect, the founder
said, in his speech at the annual ban
quet in Cleveland, last February, had
been to change the balance from the
wrong to the right side of the ledger.
Until lately, at least, combination
matches lighted the fire of combination
coal in these combination stoves, and it
is combination oil which the cook, con-
trary to orders, puts on the fires to make
them burn faster The combin alton of
match manufacturers was perfected by
the experience of sixteen years of
fuSions, till lately it shared with the coal
combination the pleasure of advancing
the price of fire by proclamation ON the
approach OF winter. 1t is now at war
with the new companies which have
gone into the manufacture since the re-
peal of the internal revenue tax. These
it is attempting to conquer by under
selling them, tactics which have hitherto
never failed. The Government of the
United States, before which all men are
equal, helped this combination to kill
off Its competitors, shielding it e'om for
eign competition by tax of thTty-five
per cent on the importation of matches
from abroad, and shielding it from do
nestle competition by administering the
internal revenue tax so as to make its
small competitors pay ten per cent.
more tax. This drove them into bank
ruptcy, or combination with the ring,
ut the rate of one or two every month.
The railroads, like the Government,
helped to transfer this business from the
many to the few by carrying the COM
binatiOn's matches at lower rates than
We're given to its little competitors
When the housemaid strikes combina-
ton match on the wall paper she leaves
mark on an article the manufacture,
sale, and price of which are rigidly reg
ulated by the American Wall Paper
Manufacturers Association. A recent
writer has described this oath bound
combination which has established
wall paper monarchy in
the United States. When the
cook takes the paper from off the ex-
press package, the hardware, the dry
| goods, the groceries, the candy, the
ham, which have been sent home, she
Is still handling an article the price OF
which is fixed by private enactments.
The Western Wrapping paper Associa-
| ton, ever since 1880, has, with more OF
less success, been struggling to keep
| down the deluge of too much wrapping
paper, and to fix the prices of all kinds,
from the paper under the carpet to that
which is used in roofing. 1t recently
failed, but was at once re0rgaaized on a
| tirmer footing than before, and its mills
are now allowed to turn out but one,
half as much as they could produce
Besides this, the wood-pulp and straw
paper industries have been amalgam
ated. The American Paper Associa.
ton aims to control the prices and pro
ductlon of paper for newspapers and
books, and for writing. The dealers il
old rags and old paper formed AZ asso
citation in Cleveland three years ago tC
deal with the ''old-rag" problem o.
how to cut down the enormous profit.
the won.en of our country are making
ont of the contents of their rag bags
In January, 1888, the trade met agar
at Rochester, formed two national
associations, and solemnly agreed upol
the prices to be paid form liked rag
that we gather from house to house,
and for brown paper and rag carpet
"No change of price for rags or pa
per-" runs the decree of the old rag
barons, lis to be made without consul
tation of every member OF the EXecu
tive Committee. The Western Wood
enware Association discovered, las
December, that there were too man
pals. tubs and bowls, and Ordere
its members to manufacture but one
fifth of their capacity In February
gave them permission to increase thi
to one-half The Western Cracke
Bakers Association met in Chicago i
February to consider, among othe
things, 1.-THE reprehensible system c
cutting prices" They first had bar
quet After their 'tmerriment and d
version" the jewellers, true to Adal
Smiths description, turned to conside
some continuance to raise prices.
The price lists were perfected, B." said th
newspaper report, and then they az
iourned. NORTH american ReUieoO.