The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-05-10
ANOTHER GIGANTIC TRUST
WALLPAPER Manufacturers Seeking TO
Combine Their Millions of Capital.
Every Householder Ia Int.rested-New
Combination of Chicago Packers.

NEW YORK. May 9.-Rumors of another
great trust, which have been in circulation
for some time. came to q focus to-day at q
meeting of the principal men interested.
The meeting was not q very large one. but
it represented many millions of invested
capital and capital invested in q prominent
and widely divergent business. The pro-
posed trust is one of wallpaper manufact-
urers. The company who are engineering
the deal are Ottenheimer Il Untermeyer,
who have had previous experience In the
formation of such enterprises and it
was at their Office that the meet
ing was convened at noon to-day.
The prime movers in the project arc
said to be Col. Fairman Warren. of the big
manufacturing firm of Warren. Fuller IL
Lang; the firm of H. NJ. Birge g. Sons. who
have their factory at Buffalo. and perhaps
one or two others, including Nevins 81
Haviland. Some of the employees of those
firms understood to-day that the combine
was an accomplished fact, but the opposi-
tion of others. including such old manu-
facturers as William Campbell IL Co., gave
the denial to such rum0rs; ard even if the
deal is accom- plished among a majority and
such big hrm as that of CampbelPs, with
one or two others. are left out. as seemed
possible this morning. the trust may not be
aS.great a success as anticipated.
The objects of the proposed trust. as
stated by the wallpaper men, are in the
interest OF harmOnizing the issues in some
way and regulating the production and
sale of goods. One of the big manufactur-
ers who has not yet been fully persuaded
of the wisdom of the movement. said to-
that a necessity for some movement to
benefit the trade exists. the profits of late
years have been cut down TO a low figure.
Competition is keen and goods are sold on
very long time. The machinery for the
production of paper-haneinGs is expensive.
The productions partake OF the nature OF
works of art to q greater or less extent.
We cannot tell even after goods are sold on
time whether they will go any more than
whether q novel will sell after IL is
published. We do not know whether
we will come out at the end of the
year behind or ahead. All the WALL
paper factories of the country are in the
East. however, and most of them right
here in New York so that some sort of an
agreement may be arrived at. But the
business is not like dealing in staples. as
Oil or sugar. or any thing of that sort. This
business is practically new every year,
and it is entirely possible that the trust
might not be able to last moro than year
or At present there are probably $l5.-
0O0 600 or $40 900 600 invested in it. Twenty
millions would be On extreme outside fig-
ure. 1t has not been considered possible OF
late to getall this capital to go into trust"
Samuel UntermyeI. one of the proposed
trusts attorneys, said after the meeting
that it was a matter of considerable doubt
whether the thing would 60 through.
though be thought there was fair pros
pect. He said the idea was not to increase
the price of wallpaper. but to economic
and consolidate In the manufacture, so
that it would be possible to place the goods
OIL the market even cheaper than now. but
possibly to limit the number of competing
designs. and probably the production.