The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1890-06-14
STARCH MAKERS WILL HAVE NO
UNREASONABLE COMPETITIONS

Icy Paves the way-A Chance for ME-.
Burrows to Act-Win He Take Advan.
tage Of 1T
On the same day that the Mckinley
tariff bill was made public the papers
contained the news that the starch trust,
which had been for some months taking
shape, had finally gotten under way with
bright prospects. No trust has ever,
perhaps, been organized with such kindly
encouragement from the tariff makers
at the date Of its birth. As the new
trust enters upon its career Mr.. Mckinley
makes fatherly provision for it's future.
The ways and means committee could
not have been ignorant of the fact that
starch trust was in process of formation.
About Feb. 1 the newspapers contained
accounts Of the preliminary meeting at
Buffalo; and about the middle Of that
month the trust was incorporated in
C~ovington, KY, under the name of the
National Starch company. The more
recent meeting at the Fifth Avenue
hotel in New York, for effecting the final
arrangements and electing officers, wal
also reported in the papers, as well as
such secret meetings can be reported.
Mr. Burrows, of Michigan, is an advo.
cate Of the very good doctrine that trusts
ought to be prevented by removing the
duties which protect them and make
them possible. He does not seem to have
enforced that view in the crypt Of the
Capitol. At any rate the duty Of two
cents q pound on potato starch was UNI
touched by the committee; and the duty
o. dextrine "a starch product) and all
gum substitutes was raised from one
cent to two cents a pound. True, the
duty of two and one-half cents a pound
on corn, wheat and rice starch is reduced
to two cents a pound; but this signifies
simply nothing at all, for no starch of
this kind is imported at present, and none
can be imported under the proposed duty
Of two cents. The price Of American
corn starch up to the time of the forma-
ton Of the trust was about two and one
quarter centsa pound, which is less than
the duty on imported corn starch. The
trust has already advanced the price Of
starch to two and hvc-eighths cents, and
there Is to be q further advance to three
cents at an early day.
It IS claimed By the manufacturers OF
starch that prices have fallen 10 low that
there Is no profit in the business. The
price several years ago was seven cents
q pound, but it is now below three cents.
One Of the most frequent arguments
before tue ways and means committee
from people who want new duties inn
posed or old ones increased Is that the
duty will develop home competition,
this will force prices down. and the con-
sumner will be benefited. None Of these
applicants for government aid will con-
fess that the protection asked for will
keep prices up.
On the contrary, we see the singular
spectacle Of hundreds Of men paying the
expenses Of a trip to Washington to ask
for duties on their goods, on the ground
that these duties will bring prices down.
Before the committee these men have
much to say about promoting compe-
tftion; they seem, in fact, to have over
come the law according to which every
business man proceeds-the law that the
less competition there IS the greater the
profits will be. Every business ma die.
likes composition; but q deputation to
Washington IN behalf Of any industry
always appears to be willing to have "a
much home competition as any consumer
could possibly wish.
When, however, competition or other
causes have reduced prices. competition
becomes unpopular. Hence we hear one