The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-07-29

Mr.. j. D. Weeks, formerly the secre-
tary Of the Western Nail Association,
has this to say in the last Issue Of his pa
per, the Pittsburgh Manufacturer, about
the cut nail situation.
The situation In the cut nall industry seems
10 be about Us bad w could7Well be Imagined,
and what Is still worse there does not appear TO
be any prospect OF immediate Improvement.
From all OF the markets OF the country there
cOheS the same rCp0rti low prices, oYef.pl0dnc'
ton and no hope for the future. Our Phlladel'
phI9 correspondent, who 4 more man usually
1.-THE nail market, no matter what may DO said
OF II by makers, IL nDyOr satisfactory. ThCIe0st
squirt OF demand starts up y lew machines anu
tho supply Is keptupRt tile highest point, hence
no decided and permanent Improvement POS
Slble. Store keepers are glad 10 catch orders at
81 10, but factories arc keeping agents on the
road who Will sell sell good nails At 81 10 Futher
than let o chance alp. The quotations arc 81 "
I %. b. ut Chicago, while In 81, Louis they arc
q 70 out OF store.
Having made these preliminary re.
marks in order to show how really bad
Is the cut nail situation land hO has
apparently labored to make it look as
dark as possible) he next, Curiously
enough, proceeds to throw cold water
on the present, or indeed any other
movement, that looks to It's radical i'm
provement. He says;
To meet the condition OF the question, every
conceivable device that seems to promise relief
Is tried. The pOolamong the Wheeling andother
western nail mills 10 maintain prices BY restrict
Ing production went 70 pieces under the action
Of certain Wheeling mills, which refused 10 be
longer bound. The result Of the movement 10
enable tho cut nall 10 compete more on equal
terms with tho wire nail, reducing the gauge OF
the plate and consequently Increasing tho num-
Der Ia. the pound, ~ awaited with great interest,
M IL also the attempt 70 form u trust among the
Wheeling nail mills. But ut best the chances are
that any relief, that any OF these propositions
may give, Will DO only Temporary. The fact Is
that the capacity for the production Of cut nails
SmuOh too large iorAny probable demand ln tho
Ing the cut nall, Notwithstanding the repeated
assertions Of the nall manufacturer, that the
cut nail Is better than the wire nail
Some nail makers arc realizing tho utility oil
further endeAvOrS 10 benefit the market by any
Of these temporary devices aud are looking for
other products into which to put the output OF
the pudding furnace.
We submit to Ar. Weeks that. grant
ing much Of what he has said to be true,
there is all the more an imperative
necessity for just such a movement
among the cut nail manufacturers as is
now coutemplated-viz: a thorough
combination under one head, which
head shall control the production and
prevent the present ruinous competition
khn iaIiusJnn1 ,,tlI,
To say hat this can not DO accom-
plished Is virtually to say that COMPETE
ton shall go on until the present
plants have bankrupted each other
and passed into the hands OF some
syndicate that will finally absorb a
number OF them into one organization
at the expense Of their present owners.
A wise administration Of the exiating
mills under one control will save this
fate to the present stockholders, and also
while assuring a moderate return to the
capital invested will give the public a
very cheap and excellent nail.
Meanwhile the country will keep
growing up to the present capacity of
the mills and inasmuCh as the nails will
be cheaper than the wire nail, and Of
greater holding power, and as many to
the pound, there is every reason to
expect a fair degree OF success.