Morning journal and courier., 1884-06-18
Combinations i'm Stoves, Matches and
Paper.


1
| There has been, since 1872, national COM
| bination 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 banquet in Cleveland,
| last February, had been to change the bal
| ance from the wro7g to the right side of the
ledger. Until lately. at least, ComblnatlOn
matches lighted the fire of combination coal
in these cenbination stoves, and it is combi-
nation oil which the cook, contrary to orders,
puts on the fires to make them burn faster
The combination of match nufacturers
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 ap-
proach of winter. It is nov at war with the
new companies which have gone into the
manufacture since the repeal of the internal
revenue tax. These it is attempting to con-
quer by underselling 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
it's competitors, shielding it from foreign
competition by a tax of 35 per cent. on the
importation of matches from abroad, and
shielding it from domestic competition by ad-
ulinistering the internal revenue tax SO as to
make its small competitors pay 10 per cent
more tax. This drove them into bankruptcy
or combination with the ring OF the rate of
one or two every month. The railroads, like
the government, helped to transfer this busl-
ness from the many to few by carrying the
combinations matches at lower rates than
we're given to its little competitors. When
the housemaid strikes combination match
on the wallpaper she leaves mark on an ar
ticle the manufacture, sale and price OF
which are riaidiy regulated by the American
Wall Paper Manufacturers association
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 express
package, the hardware, the dry goods, the
groceries, the candy, the ham, which have
been sent home, she is still handling an artl-
Gle the price of which is fixed by private en-
actments The Western Wrapper-Paper
sociation, ever since 1880, has, with more or
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
reorganizsd on frmer 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 amalgamated. The
American Paper association aims to control
the prices and production of paper for news
papers and books, and for writing. The
dealers in old rags and old paper formed en-
association In Cleveland three years ago to
deal with the "old-rag' problem of how to
cut down the enormous profits the women of
our country ure making out of the contents
of their rsg-bags. In January, 1888, the
trade met sgain at Rochester, formed two
national" associations, and solemnIy agreed
upon the prices to be paid for mixed rags
t'that We gather from house to house." and
for brown paper and rag carpet. mo change
of price for rags or paper" runs the decree
of the old rag bsrons, sis to be made with
out consultation of every member of the ex-
ecutive committee" The Western Wooden
ware association discovered last December
that there were too many pals, tubs and
bowls and ordered its members to manufac-
ture but one-fifth of their capacity. In Feb
ruary it gave them permission to increase
this to one-half. The Western Cracker
Bakers association met in Chicago in Febru-
ary to consider, among other things, ''the
reprehensible system of cutting prices"
They first had banquet. After their ''mer-
riment and DIVERSION the revelers, true to
Adam Smiths description, turned to consider
'ssome contrivaDce to raise prices" 1.-The
price lists were perfected" said the newsps
per report, and then they adjourned.
Soma hatkerS aupInve1 at Gaufh NorUa1k