Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-05-31
JUNE SHUTDOWN.
What Representative Western Win
dow Glass Jobbers Think of II.
NOT CONSIDERED A GOOD POLICY.
Curtailing the Supply When the General
Demand is Most Active,
IN ORDER TO FORCE UP THE PRICE
nprc1I1 rrLxenAm TO THE prsrlrcH,

ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DISPATCH,
CHICAGO, May 3O-One of the best known
iobbers in window glass in Chicago, a
gentleman who is thoroughly representa-
tive of his class, said this morning that the
net result of the meeting OF manufacturers
and iobbers in Pittsburg last week was to
bring about better feeling between the
manufacturers and the jobbers, and to shut
down about so per cent of the manufactur-
ing capacity-about 800 out OF L. 400 pots
on June IA, the balance to run on to July 1,
the usual time of closing for the hot
months
The scheme of running certain percent
age of the capacity of each furnace, which
had been talked of at Chicago, was not
adopted, and those furnaces which run to
July 1 will run to their full capacity.
Among them are one or two in Plttsburg;
all OF those in Baltimore, New Jersey ana
Eastern Pennsylvania; one at Marion, Ind;
one at Bellaire, O., and two or three In
Central Pennsylvania.
81 think the early closing Of the factories
is a verv foolish thing, "he said. 1.-THE stocks
on hand are considerably below the stock
on hand at this time last year, and there
is sure to be scarcity before the
factories are in good running order In
the fall. July and August are the very best
months in the year for us, and it seems to
me very poor policy to curtsil the supply just
when the demand is at its height. did
not see single manufacturer at Pittsburg
Who did not think so, too.
ADVOCATES OF EARLY CLOSING.
"The United Glass Company was the
principal advocate of an early closing of the
factories, and its opinion, of course, carried
very great weight. The gentlemen who
spoke for it said that they had very large
stocks on hand, andi urged the i'm
portance of closing in the middle
OF June, and their views were received with
great consideration by some of the other
manufacturers. But there were some firms
who could not be persuaded to close at that
time. At Marion, Ind, for instance, they
had contracts which it would take their full
capacity up to July to fill, and the same
was true OF other places. Those In favor of
early closing offered to assume all such con-
tracts and fill them out of the stocks on
hand, but they wouldn't listen to that"
"What effect will the Pittsburg meeting
have on the market?"
Its tendency, of course, is to make the
market firm and high. Chambers & Mckee
and the United Glass Company hold firm
and stiff for the ruling prices, which, by the
way, were marked up about 25 per cent in
December last. They are the two largest
producers, and, working together, they ex-
ert a great influence to keep the market
steady. Some of the factories outside of
Pittsburg may cut rates little, but they
cannot do great deal of damage because
their glass hasn't the reputation ofPittsburg
glass;"
THE JoBBERS' INTERESTS.
"What arrangement was made between
the manufacturers and the jobbers ?"
"No arrangement of any kind. Nothing
was done in that direction but to reach a
better understanding all around, which, 1
think, will lead to good results in the
future. There has been some demoralIza-
ton in the market heretofore because the
manufacturers and the jobbers did not pull
together, and think the manufacturers have
been brought to see that it is to their
interest to work in harmony with the job
bers. A few weeks ago the manufacturers
sent word to US to get our men together in
Chicago, and agreed to have a committee
here to confer with US. We got representa-
tives of about 30 large jobbing houses, and
when we came to- talk with the manufac-
turers' committee, we found that they had
no authority to represent anybody
or to enter into any binding agree
ment. The jobbers formed an as
sociation and agreed to meet the
manufacturers in Pittsburg. When we
went there we still found no organ
ization that we could deal with, and con-
sequently nothing was done except to talk
the matter over. In August we will again
meet with the manufacturers in New York,
and then some definite understanding may
be reached. The principal difficulty is that
some manufacturers have been selling car
load lots to consumers at the same rates that
they sell to the jobber who takes several
hundred carloads, and the jobber is crowded
out. And some of the jobbers have secured
special rates from certain manufacturers and
sold goods below the market rates, and
caused certain amount of Generalization.
1t is for the interest of all parties to have
fixed scale Of charges, so that the jobbers
and the manufacturers can protect each
other, but it Will take time to bring that
about"