The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-10-15
THE GLASSWARE TRUST.
COMPLETION OF A M'KINLEY CON-
EINE.

The Table Glassware Men to Enjoy Nc
kin1eyism - Plans OF the Combine.
Mckinley Helped the Trust with High
Duties-Large Exports OF Glassware.
Soon after the Mckinley tariff law
was passed the manufacturers Of table
glassware began to take steps to form
trust in order to enjoy the full benefits
Of the greatly increased duties.
When the law went into operation in
October the New York Tribune printed
interviews showing "glass manufac-
turers happy"
Well they might be happy, for Nc
Kinley had increased their protection by
90 per cent. The old duty on glassware
was 40 per cent, this was raised by Nc
Kinley to 60 per cent. But the provi-
sions of his customs administrative law
with regard to packing, breakage, etc,
are equivalent to an additional 10 per
cent. protection. The manufacturers,
therefore, have a protection of at least
70 per cent.
And now comes the trust to make this
protection effective. About the first of
the year it was reported from Pittsburg
that nineteen of the leading table glass
ware manufacturers of Ohio, Pennsylva-
MIA and West Virginia had formed
trust. This report, however, referred to
the preliminary arrangements, as only
now in midsummer does the high tariff
New York Tribune report the compile
ton of the organization. This it does in
a dispatch from Pittsburg, the center of
the table glassware trade, as follows:
pITrsBrRc, July l5.--At meeting of tho
table glassware manufacturers Of Pennsylva-
mia. Ohio and West Virginia in this city today
the plants were consolidated and an associa-
ton formed under the name of the United
States Glass company. ID. q. Ripley, Of this
city, was elected president. The company COM
prises eighteen firms. with capital of 81, co.,
90. Theobjcct of the combination is said to be
to systematic and to harmonizc the workings
of the several plants. and to secure such econo-
mics in cost as may result from consolidation
of interests. The headquarters will be in Pitts
burg.
This trust starts out with the promise
not to raise prices; but such a promise
| will hardly deceive anybody at this late
day. That is an old trick which has been
| worked too often. When this trust was
being formed in February one member
of it told n Boston dealer in glassware
that ''the main purpose Of the trust was
| to raise prices on staple tableware and
to control output"
Another part of the trusts plan was to
buy up all the independent concerns, or
else squeeze them out; and then the least
profitable ones were to be closed up to
reduce the output, and thus sustain the
trust prices. Only recently it has been
announced that the price Of glass fruit
jars. evidently manufactured by this
trust, has been advanced.
| The increased duties on glassware
should be explained by Candidate Nc
kinley on the stump this fall. l. is
stated that the trust was originated by
the manufacturers in his district, who
also contributed literally to his cam
paign expenses last fall. Such party
service may have been sufficient excuse
for the great increase in duties.
i Certainly there was no excuse in trade
conditions to justify an increase of duty.
Our imports of plain nodded or pressed
flint glassware during the fiscal year
1889 amounted to only s6s,000, and last
year to only S55, 900. On the other hand,
orr exports are generally about ten
times as much.
The New York Tribune, the leading
high tariff organ in the United States, in
showing the advantages which recipro-
city would give to this country, enumer-
ated glassware among the articles which
lean be produced in the United States rs
cheaply as III Europe"
| That this is true may be seen from our
exports of glass, glassware and china to
Mexico. The recently published imports
of Mexico for the year ending June 80,
1880, show that its imports of glass and
china from the United States amounted
to Soi3, 900; from Germany, 100000;
from France, $l59,000; from England
$4,000.
On the face of such facts as these.
where was the necessity of increasing the
glassware duties: IL our manufacturers
can beat their foreign competitors i'll
Mexico, even without the advantage of
reciprocity, is it not the height OF alb
salrdity to give them greater protection
at home: Can MclIinley's increased
duties have any other effect than to turn
domestic consumers over to the tender
mercies of his glassware trust:
| Whatever may be said of protection
to American industries" the formation
of these tariff trusts Is growing extreme
ly tiresome, and the trust crop has been
unusually abundant since the Mckinley
law went into effect. This thing is go
ing entirely too far, and the patience of
the people is not going to stand these
needless Mckinley tasiff taxes forever,
with their numerous brood OF Mckinley
trusts. The day of reckoning must soon