The evening world., 1889-03-20
BY A SALT TRUST.
THE NEW YORK MARKET THREATENED BY
MICHIGAN CAPITALISTS.

If the Scheme Succeeds the Price VIII he
Run Up More Than 90 n Ton-The
shutting Down Of Many Works Contem-
plated - New York salt Dealers Say
They Can Resist the Combine.
The New York salt dealers look with dis
trust on q Salt Syndicate that has started out
to control the salt market here and in other
parts of the country.
News comes from Detroit that O Salt Trust
is now in process Of incubation whose first
object is to control Michigan's annual pro-
duction of 5000, 900 barrels. and then prac-
tically corner the market by dominating New
York.
The salt manufactured in Michigan and
New York during the last two years has been
put on the market at about the rates that
English salt has been sold in Liverpool.
There has been a large overproduction, and
as n result the Northern and Western markets
have become largely overstocked.
There is an organization of manufacturers
in Michigan known as the Michigan Salt As
ISOLATION. 1t was formed in 1873, and IAN
died the entire product. The Association
sent AGENTS to all the Western markets to dis
pose of the production.
The Michigan salt has been kept out of the
New York markets by reason of high frelghts.
Michigan salt ut the works costs but $2.75 a
ton; the average freight to eastern points IS
SIS. 40. making a total of So. Is as the cost of a
ton of domestic salt laid down at eastern
points. English salt, with the freight paid,
can be sold At the same places for So. 30.
The Michigan manufacturers recently held
a meeting at which, it is said, a man named
Burger, representing the Eastern manufac-
turers, laid before them the situation In the
LnaA n NNntA NIn1kAI Maui
York, investigated for themselves, and it is
said that at a meeting of the Michigan Asso-
citation held last week a proposition was
made to form a National Trust.
The scheme, it is feared, is to shut down
all works where fuel costs so much that there
is only n narrow margin of profit, and the
profit of each district is to be regulated by
the area it can control.
The entire salt-producing territory in the
country will be included in the Trust, which,
according to the story from Michigan, has a
capital Of $25, 900. 900.
An EVENING WORLD reporter called on sew
eral of the principal salt dealers in this city.
They all declared that there was no Trust as
far az the New York people were concerned.
The Trust could not stand here. " said
one. up around Syracuse and Warsaw
there are thousands of acres of land for sale.
Immense salt beds underly all this territory,
and if the manufacturers up there tried to
combine. a man could take a few thousand
dollars, buy some land and start a salt mine
of his own.
1t wouldn't take more than a couple of
months TO start, and the instant any one
starts to compete with the Trust the Syn
dictate would he broken"
There is no doubt, however, but that an
attempt is being made to get the New York
salt men to form a syndicate. A man con-
nected with a leading house in this city made
a tour among the trade some time ago and
solicited the member to 60 into the Trust.
They refused, as they knew that such a
combination could not stand.