The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1888-01-07
Aublit affairs.
The Tariff and the Trusts.

from He BuI4n0IS ofut.
If the committee on ways and means, in
the construction of its proposed tariff-reform
bill, encounters difficulty in deciding what
imported articles ought to be relieved most
from the tariff tax, it will not go far wrong
if it acts upon the principle of reducing
the tax to the greatest extent on all articles
the production of which has been monopo
lized by trusts designed to kill competition
in the home market The defenders of the
heavy tax on imported articles consumed
by the people aver that after all it makes
no difference to the consumer, because COM
petition between our manufacturers soon
brings down prices and makes the tariff
duty practically of no effect, The duty
gives the home market to the home manu-
facturer, but that is all; prices soon come
down almost to the foreign level. To all
such augmentation the multiplication of
trusts, under cover of the tariff duty, to
keep prices up, is crushing rejoinder. 1t
may be well to enumerate some Of the ar
ticles upon which ''trusts, pools and
combinations are putting up prices with
the help of the tariff. On lead the duty is
68.97 per cent. Last fall when the Nation
nal Lead Trust was organized, journal
published in the interest of the combination
said: "The present price of lead is about as
high as it can be to maintain its standing
in the market as against the imported ar
ticle, and the aim of the syndicate will be
to keep up the price" But the trust has
not been content to "keep up the price to
the top level of the tariff wall, but has al
ready put it higher Linseed oil, if import
ed, pays an average duty of 54.79 per cent.
and there is trust in the West to control
the Western oil market. Paper bags used
by grocers pay duty of 35 per cent; there
is accordingly paper bag trust On paw
ing pitch there is duty of 20 per cent,
and trust to keep the price as high as
that duty will allow. The duty on cordage
is from 30.13 per cent. for tarred to 32.S9
for untarred there is a pool to control the
supply and price of cordage. There is
combination of makers of crucible and
open-hearth steel to regulate production
and maintain prices, and a special combina-
ton of manufacturers of Bessemer steel,
the wall behind which they operate being
the tariff duty of from As per cent. on in
gots to 94.33 per cent. on steel rails. The
salt trust, said to comprise 63 companies,
feeces the public with the help of duty
which last year averaged 1913 per cent.
For sugar there is an average duty of S2.04
per cent, and refners' trust, with capital
amounting, it is said, to $50 100000. The
New York Tribune, which sustains the
present tariff, stated recently, in regard to
the cause of the present prices of sugar,
"sugar went up because the new combina-
ton marked up refined. Cut loaf has gone
up to n cents pound, graduated to 81
and the soft sugars have all advanced. !"
A duty of 25 per cent. on rubber shoes has
enabled our manufacturers of rubber shoes
to perfect trust representing an invest
vestment of 100000 and yearly trade
of Si00,000,000 School states were gett-
ing too low, in the opinion of the manufac-
turers of these helps to knowledge, when
they formed combination which controls
the production of states in this country and
has since last May raised prices 16 per
cent A tariff barrier of 30 per cent.
against foreign states enabled the manu-
facturers to form their combination and
make it work. The New York Times,
which has been at pains to collect facts as
to this trust iniquity, finds one of its best
examples in the pool of manufacturers
known as the Table and Stair Oilcloth As
ISOLATION. Their circular is instructive, in
view of the fact that what makes their
"little game" workable is the tariff duty on
oilcloths of 40 per cent. Says the circular:
"Members have paid into the association
large sums of money, which are forfeitable
on the violation by them of any of
the provisions Of the association.
They have also bound all their statesmen
and agents to maintain strictly the terms
which they themselves have agreed to.
Violations of the agreement to maintain
prices are punishable by fine of $780,
Dealers who can show that they have
maintained the prices fixed for the season
from December l, 1887, to May 81, 1888,
will receive from the official of the pool
rebate of from Is to 173 per cent. But
they are not to sell to retailers who sell at
prices under the schedule While the pool
undertakes to prevent low prices it does
not object to high ones. 'The association,
says the circular, twill not reduce prices
prior to June 1, 1888. They reserve to
themselves the right to advance the same
at any time without notice" The first re-
suit of the formation of this virtual trust
was an advance in the price of oilcloths of
60 per cent; that is to say, prices have
been advanced that much beyond the figure
at which some manufacturers could sell
oicloths with profit. The IS per cent. is
extra profit to the members of the sssoeia-