Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1889-08-11
.THR GLASS COMBINE.
The Combination is a Certainty, in the Near
Future.
Yesterdays STORY VAS CORRECT.
Wheeling Manufacturers ara Interested IN
the Matter.
FURTHER DETAILS OF THE PLAN.
The GLASS combination is a certainty.

The glass comOln2tlOn V ceI'hinty'
At least it is as nearly a certainty as
ANYTHING not fully accomplished can be.
The publication, in the REGISTER, of
Yesterday morning, of the details of the
proposed move, afforded a most interest
ing topic for talk in business and manu-
featuring circles, and there was a great
deal of gossip daring the day concerning
the new departure of the tableware man
ufacturers. As a matter of course, there
was "A cons derable difference as to
the practicabihty of the big business
project, but the prepOnderance of opinion
seemed TO be that the combination would
be a success.
A very prominent local glass manufact-
urer was asked yesterday for some further
details Of the plan. In reply, ne said:
Now that the nstter is out, l don't
mind telling you that the combination
means business, although yesterday l
would probably not have been nearly
so frank. Everybody interested in the
matter must regret the publication of the
facts very much, as it will seriously inter
fere with sons Of the details of the scheme,
20 be perfected before it can be put into
practical operation, but we will now have
to get along tire best way we can.
Do not understand me as implying by
what 1 have jost said, that the
proposed combination is jeopsr-
died by the publication of the story.
That would be saying too much, but il is
q fact that plans will suffer serious disar-
raDgement, II my opinion. We have been
very guarded about the matter, as will he
seen By glance at the Pittsburg Dispatch
of this morning, where several manufac-
turers are quoted as knowing nothing
about the plans" when, as a matter Of
fact, those very gentlemen are deeply in
terested, and are fully cognizlnt OF what
is going on. The story in the REGISTER
this morning, and that in the Pittsburg
Post of the morning before, is practically
correct, although some of the details are
little mixed up.
Il suppose you see a great advantage in
toe projec.?'
''Yes, indeed. Il means q great deal to
Is. And right here l want 20 say, the
combination is in no sense a trust. TIE
difference Is great. The glass manufac-
turing concerns going into the oOmbins-
zion will completely lose their identity
snd become I'D integral part OF a new COM
binsticn. When our plants, ma
chinery, stock, etc, are appraised,
We will simply cease TO ex-
ist, and the stockholders in the
md vidual concerns will become stock
holders in a new company, which will
control many plants instead of only one"
How many concerns are interested in
the natter"
"All the table ware manufacturers.
There are about thirty-fve or six concerns
OF that sort in the country, sil of them
west OF the mountains. That suggests one |
of the errors in this mornings paper. |
There are no table ware concerns east of |
the mountains at present, although there |
used TO be several factories. Some little !
ware is manufactured at Boston, by a glass |
company there, bat it amounts TO little or
MOI hing"
Then there will be about thirty-six
merged into the new organizl-
uoD?"
Eyes, and 10. That is where the news
papers did the dsmsge But do not care
70 speak about that particularly"
"Whst are some OF the advantages it is |
hoped will accrue through the new COM
pa0y?"
"Well, they are many. In the first
place, the saving in expenses will be euor-
nous. Let me illustrate that by taking
one or two items Take trAvehog men.
The factories in existence at present EN-
plOy ssy fifty men on the road. They will
average az s., 600 in salaries, and their
expenses will run up 30 say 81, 500 or
s. 600 more for each. That foots up $780,
90 alone. Then take the items of new
lines of goods which are constantly COM
ing out Every factory, under the present
arrangement, has to get up new moulds,
design new styles, etc, constantly, in
he etlJrt TO obtain slight
advantage Ovsr its fellows. These
expenses probably amount 10 $780,
900 or so 10 toe sggrsga,e. Office expens es,
aud the cost OF an official staff at every fac
tory eat up more money, and another big
lot disappears through competition in try
ing to sell goods. Probably in the items l
have given the glass men are out three
quarters Of a million year. Under the
new Arrangement most of this will be
saved. Ten statesmen will do rs well as
the present fifty, or whatever Is the mum
Der. and eight or ten new styles year will
be sufficient on that score. Office expenses,
etc, viii be reduced 20 a minimum, and
there Will he no competition. Everything
viii he sold a. "a certain spscfic rate. You
see the advantages, and l have enuuer-
a.ed but a few of them
How about prices to the consumer?
Wiz they 90 up"
Pm glad You asked that question.
They will not; More likely, they Will
come down, IN some, regards, at least.
We will be very glad, at least, to retain
present yates, straight. There viii be 40
Increase. and I'll tell you why. We
would have the entire trade in our grasp,
Id ia true, bul the moment we put up
prices 70 anything approaching a fancy
Ii yure, don't you see what would resplF
There would be a movement at once
among other glass men to rush into the
table ware trade and get some Of the big
profits, aud in very short time the en-
tire trade would be demOralized again,
and we would De worse of than ever. The
public need feel no apprehension on that
score. Il will be to our interests to keep
prices down to a reasonable limit"
How is all this going to affect the
trade2n
"In the best possible way. 1t will be
as much to the benefit of the jObbers and
wholesalers as il will be to the msnufac-
tursrs. Al present the various factories
are deluging the country With specialties,
and new lines of ware. The jobber has to .
keep up with these things, and as a result
he Is constantly piling up lot of stuff for
which the demand is questionable. Some