The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1886-10-02

nor OecOr8tOrS where estimates ar
made on all the work connected will
fitting up room. and the wealth,
customer considers prices no object
one seldom hears Of the coordination. ,
But in visiting the genuine wallpaper
stores where nothing but Wallpaper i
sold, the customer is often puzzled By
hearing the clerk speak Of q certain
paper as being one of the s'combina
ton" papers. To the existence of thil
combination" is due the wealth of thu
American Wallpaper manufacturers
and the rapid advance which interior
decoration has made within the last ter
years. Previous to that time the manu-
facture Of wallpaper in this country
was in its infancy, and the papers made
here had no standing in competition
with those Of foreign makes, especially
those of France and England. There
were only a few manufacturers here,
and most of those did not attempt. to
make very fine grade of paper. To
be sure. there were one or two firms
who made flock or velvet papers, in
which the figures were raised, and the
paper which had . gold background
was perhaps better made then than
much of the same kind manufactured
now; but these firms were exceptions,
and most of the paper manufactured
was OF very inferior quality.
French and English wallpaper was
imported for fine trade almost exclu,
sively. Very few artists were EN-.
plOyed by American manufacturers,
most of the American Wallpapers be-
ing copies, and, in great part, wretched
ones, too, of French papers.
The combination" IS it is termed
in the trade. is one of the greatest
monopolies in the country. II con-
sists of an association of the most inn
portant wallpaper manufacturers for
the purpose of keeping up the prices
at which wallpapers are sold. both
Wholesale and retail.
1t was started five years ago. Near.
ly all the large manufacturers in the
country went into it. Laws and by
laws were framed, and each manufact-
urer who joined the combination
signed an agreement to abide by the
laws and fled bond of several thou
sand dollars. which ne agreed to for
felt in case he violated any of the laws.
BY this agreement the prices of all the
grades OF wallpapers were fixed. The
cheapest wallpaper, known to the
trade as ''brown blanks it was agreed
to sell for not less than six cents per
roll; the white blank, " next in grade,
was to bring nine cents; the bronze,
twenty-eight and thirty-two cents. &C.
oorting to quality; and ''gold grounds
were to bring sixty cents. These
prices have changed but little since
that time
But this was only part OF the purpose
OF the combination An officer was
elected, at salary OF $40, 600 per year,
whose sole duty was to decide. in case
OF dispute, the quality OF . Wallpaper
and the price 1t should sell for. 1t was
also agreed not to.seil TO any 1obber or
dealer who did not sign castiron
compact, in which no agreed not to
sell any wall paper, whether bought
from manufacurers within or outside Of
WV eAA AA~sseAAe ~OH ~So0 sAAsSAs
combination prices. The .'combi-
nation also fixed the minimum prices 4
1T which wall paper could be retailed,
which was several cents higher for each
grade than the manufacturer's price.
The 1obber or dealer had to deposit
5000 forfeit with the officers OF the
combination" after signing the agree
ment, and manufacturers and dealers
we're closely watched to see that they
lid not break the rules on the sly.
The combination became q power
1t once. The few manufacturers and
dealers who did not join were squeezed
into . corner. The latter especially
suffered, as they could not buy from
the manufacturers in the 'combi-
nation at any prices, and those out Of
i had not sufficient variety to meet
their wants. They soon repented and
Joined the association. leaving out only
few dealers who catered entirely to
cheap class OF trade. Buoyed up BY
TINS enormous monopoly the manufact
Lurers in the scheme grew rapidly very