The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-10-23
HOW Il OPERATES.

HOW Il OPERATES.
HIGH TARlFF AND BIo TRUST
ARETWiN BROTHERS.
Every turn Of the Screw squeexes the
People Harder and yet the q. O.. r
Points with Pride to Its Record.
The circulars that No print below
cannot we'll be called Campaign cir.
cnlars for they afe issued By the
wholesale houses ID the dealers, re-
CARELESS 81 politics; as a matter of
business strictly. They tell their
own story and the man who can
squirm from under these arguments
deserves the best salaried position any
of the trusts car furnish. But read:
To the Trade.
GRAND RAPIDs.-Sept. 9.-GENTLE-
MEN: AS an Important and rather
radical advance in prices of some
articles in the hardware line are daily
taking place, we wish I'd say. a few
words SD YOU may more fully under
stand the Situation and not think
that the jobber is oyercharging you.
AXES.
There is now but one axe company
in the United States, and that is
called the American Axe and Tool
company, with headquarters at.
Pfttsburg. This company has pun
chased outright every X factory in
the. country OF any Importance, and
by thus controlling the production
have advanced prices on al average
of 50 a dozen.
The company also controls the man
ufacture Of axe polls Tor the heads of
axes the machinery Of which is pa
tented, and this enables them to Keep
the price on polls so high no else Gao
afford to make axes.
SAws-HAND AND CROSS Get.
In this Industry the same, forces
have been at work, and to-day there
are but two companies who manufac-
ture hand saws, where there were
a dozen four months ago. Prices in
this line of goods have been advanced
from 10 to 40 per cent. In cross-cuts
it is the same. By a consolidation of
interests prices have been advanced
from 4 to 8 cents a foot.
LEAD.
Everything made of lead has taken
a decided advance owing to recent
decisions on the admitting of Mex
lean ore into this country, as well as
by combinations of manufacturers.
Shot, lead pipe, pig lead, solder, bab-
bit metal. have all advanced and may
go still higher. The passage of the
silver bill will also. affect all articles
made of or coated with silver. In
the hardware line plated knives and
forks, spoons, etc /, will be affected
and advances made.
TIN.
The present tariff on sheet tin is ]
cent a pound, and the Mckinley tariff
bill. which no doubt will pass both
| houses Of congress, advances the duty
to 32-1O cents a pound. THIS mist
of course advance tin from SIPS to So
a box, according to the weight of
| said box. This advance in sheet tin
| will affect all articles of tinware and
| advances will be made all along the
line.
Tin in New York has already adj
vanced all from so cents to 81 a box,
and is growing stronger each day as
the certainty of the passage of the
Mckinley tariff bill becomes more
assured. Not a box of tin is made
in this country, Notwithstanding
which tin has declined in price from
Sis to S.75 a box during the past
twenty-five years.
The window glass market of this
country is practically in the hands of
two large companies who work in
harmony as to prices, which has re-
suited in a steady advance for the
past year averaging about 80 per cent.
ZINC OR STOVE BOARDS.
The Adams & Westlake company,
A. 1. Griggs, Sidney Shepard & Co.
Palmer Manufacturing company, II
Rendtof & Co., Central Stamping
company, w. II. Sweeney Manufac
tusing company. All of the ahovt
named firms were anxious for oul
business last year, bnt nov the,
have all sold out to the Americat
Stove Board company, with office!
in New York and Chicago, and {
general advance or all lines has taker
place. Last year you could buy q %
inch square paper-lined zinc for 81
cents. This year the same thing costs
YOU 70 cents. An advance of 100 pei
cent.
AMMUNITION.
The price is controlled by a com
binatiOn. and you have to pay the
price or 60 without. For powder,
the same-but one price, and that
nearly double what it was two years
ago.
SUMMARY.
We call your attention to these
matters so you will understand why.
on nearly every invoice you get, you
will find something higher than it
was before.
The tendency Of the times seems to
be consolidation, thus enabling large
corporations to produce the goods
cheaper and sell them at a higher
price. We fail to find, however,, in
all the consolidation of various lines
of goods a single instance; notwith:
standing the advance they put on
goods, where they have advanced
the pay Of labor a cent. If the con-
sumner who purchases last does not
pay this increased cost we do not
know who does. If he reaps any
personal benefit from it, we would
like to know where it comes in.
This is not a political document, but
a fair statement Of the condition OF
certain lines of business, as we daily
come in contact with them.
FOSTER. STEVENS & Co.,
Hardware Merchants, Grand Rapids.
TO the Trade.
NEW YORK, Oct. 4, 1S9O.-The
tariff act, which goes into effect on
-