Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1884-08-02
THE WALL PAPER COMBINATION.

The Plan of Manufacturers to Keep Old
Designs Out Of the Market.
NY. Sun.
Last summer a gentleman Ia occas-
ion to paper fiat into which he moved
in the fall. Among the various designs,
that of therhall paper, . kind of stencil
pattern and very decorative. struck the
fancy of all his friends who came to the
fat. Unfortunately, the walls of the
new building were not quite dry enough
when the paper was put on, and after a
while several defects became apparent.
The gentleman decided about fortnight
ago b have new paper of the same de-
sign~placed over the defective places.
He went to the factory from which he
had bought the paper and asked for a
few rolls of it. They told him they had
no more of it in stock. He asked them
when they would have it in stock again.
"Oh, we won't have it in stock again"
was the reply. "We manufacture only
enough for the one season. You see
whatever is left over has to be destroyed.
That's the rule of our combination"
1T must be quite an extensive combin-
alton" -the gentlepap remarked.
at is extensive" was the reply. at
embraces all the manufacturers in the
country but three"
"A very large number of them, sup
poser"
"How many do you think?"
"Two or three hundred?"
"Not nearly so many. But l won't
keep you guessing. because no one who
isn't in the business would be apt to
strike the right number. You wouldn't
believe it" counting on his fingers as he
spoke, "but think I'm correct in say
ing ebere are not more than thirteen
manufacturers of wall paper in the whole
country. These manufacturers are all in
New York with the exception of five
three in Pennsylvania and two in New
jersey"
lis there none in the South and
West?r
"None. The middlemen in the bust
ness flock here about this time of the
year. BY August you'll find the two no.
tells which they usually patronize full of
them. That's the time we begin running
out our new stock" -
oq az yad account for the fact that
thsfe are so few in the business, and for
the fact that those few are conferred here?'
There are so few manufacturers be-
cause the business requires large capital.
They are in this part of the country for
various reasons. New York is the COM
mercisl heart of the land. 1t is also the
centre of taste. Even il there were fac
tories elsewhere, the designs from New
York would be the standards. There is
another more serious drawback which
would MAKE it very difficult to establish
a wallpaper factory elsewhere. This is
the market for that kind of labor. and
the BUSINESS has been here so long that
all the skilled workmen are here also.
They their time and settled
hChC. my Uuc WIZ WlSncO 70 establish
a wall paper mandatory in Chicago for
instance, would be Obliged to import the
workmen from here. Many of them
would soon grow homesickaa and return to
New York. We were discussing the 9TH
er day the adyisability of establishing a
branch in Chicago, and we considered
these obstacles insurmountable. Besides
why should we 60 e Chicago when Chi
what il fhe object of the combina.
tion?"
"It's for our mutual protection, and il
works admirably. We calculate how
much each house should realize on the
capital il has invested. Some seasons
the designs of some establishment NAV
not strike the popular fancy, and the
profits will fall below the estimated
amount Then the other establishments
afo'aSseS6ed each Oh the basis of what II
moV NM eafned above the estimated
amount for the benefit of the manufact.
urer who happens to have fallen behind.
Na1etpeeon he may he the lucky one,
and be obliged to put his hand into has
pocket for another"
"And5ou destroy the old stock in &C
cordapce with the rule of the combina-
tion?'s
You can't get any design of "a previ.
GUS season fom any of us after this
mQpths. Weare clearing out the fiotsam
and jetsam now. But we won't have any
lef by the LIST of August"