The morning call., 1892-04-14
A NEW LEASE OF LIFE.
Tbe Salt Trust Renewed for an
Additional Five Years.
Enormous Profits Said to Have Been Made by
the combiuation-What Some Buyers
and Sellers Have to Say.

The salt trust. organized FIVE years ago,
took new lease of life on April by re-
newal OF the combination for FIVE years
more. The members of the trust are said
TO be John Barton. b. +. Barton, p. Marsi-
cano, l.. NJ. Block and the Plummer BROTH
ers. 1t is stated that previous to the or
ganization of this trust the price Of salt had
reached its lowest notch and that the staple
commodity was selling for next to nothing
Inc trust Is said to have leased the Alameda
salt marshes near Dumbart0n Point and to
nave worked them with such great success
as to practically control the market, while
thelr profits during the period named are
stated TO have been at least IS per cent. In
other words they are charged with selling
salt which cost them So so per ton for So
his immense prof., while extremely graft
lying to the members Of the combination,
is said to have had an opposite effect upon
packers, dairymen and consumers gen orally.
A CALL reporter yesterday afternoon
visited several buyers OF and dealers in salt
WIN view of aScertaining how they were
amected by the rise in the price of salt,
alleged to have been made by the trust.
MANY SALT MARSHES.
One dealer said: ''In the first place there
are great many salt marshes in the local
NY mentioned. which were formerly run on
their own account. Considerable COMPETE
ton had cut the price down, and the own
ers OIL the land were making little money.
lhen these five men combined, formed
pool and leased all these small places, when
they closed them and run only the big ones.
They kept the production of salt down to
sucb an extent that the market became
snort and the price advanced. The leases,
winch were made FIVE years ago. contained
the proYiso that they could bs renewed at
made out in the name of n third party.
When the five years expired on the first of
this month the ieSsees insisted upon re-
newal, and the trust is practically reformed
Tor another five years"
u Il. Whitney, 121 Davis street, said: 81
do not consider tine price unreas onable.
mis- trust is nothing new. We can bring
In outside salt at lower prices-from Car
men Island, in the Gulf of California, for
Instance. which is a solid salt-field. The
lmportations OF foreign salt will have a
tendency to keep the trust down. Liver
pool salt OF coarser grade costs Sl1 per
ton. while that of the same quality COM
mands from SIS to S22 The trust salt is
interior TO some other kinds. Carmen Isl
and Is their check. This trust has been
gong i've years and nobody has kicked.
before the trust was formed dealers were
losing money. As long as vessels ballast
with salt there Is no danger of eXorbitant
prices. The trust has only few Of these
marshes. which furnish very limited
supply compared with other sources"
WHEN SALT WAS Sc A TON.
w. b. Bradford said: II have never
looked closely into the matter but when the
price OF salt was SO per ton all dealers were
on the verge of bankruptcy. We get most
OF our salt from the Union Pacific Com
pany."
Captain w. l.. Merry was seen and re-
marked: Il know these fellows are max
Ing little money. We buy OF them and
have to pay 20 per cent more than formerly
The combination has resulted in that adj
vance. We can buy plenty Of salt at 81 80
per ton. There is great deal Of salt marsh
land Tor sale over there; any one can buy it,"
L. Nj. Block, said 20 be one of the men,
bers Of the trust, disc!aimed all knowledge
OF such combination and said he would sell
salt of good quality for So per ton. Said
ne: Il take no stock in the story of such
immense profits"
Charles Laufenberger, agent for the Mel
rose Salt Company. made the following
statement: Il don't believe they get $40 per
ton. want a fair deal for every body. OF
course the trust interferes with my bust
ness. have been working for love. not
money, the past four years, Many dealers
had hoped that the lease would not be re-
neweG. but 1t was. and the trust now has a
bulge on the whole market They pay the
owner OF one of these salt farms, as they
call them, $500 royalty per year, and il he
'".ntS salt thCs give MIN Sl - per ION
extra. A fair quality of salt is worth about
81 80 per ton-even that is a good price |
used 10 sell certain kinds at 81 cents "A ton
before the trust stepped in; salt was very
cheap at the time. l am obliged to buy Of
the trust. Carmen Island salt is very ey-
pensive-the freight and duty count up 1t
can be bought for about IS. / can buy of
the trust for less than $40. The combina-
ton IS not near as strong as it was five
years ago, ana 1t IS liable to break up before
the expiration of the leasen