Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1892-08-26
TRUSTS VS.. LABOR.
HOW LABOR is CRUSHED THAT
PRICES MAY BE ADVANCED.

Devastating Effects of the Cordage Trust
Shown In the Record of Lockouts and
Wage Reductions Made in Order to In
sure Profits to Owners of Idle Mills.
The following from the speech of SEN
ator Vest Of July &c, and printed in The
Congressional Record of July 81, is good
evidence of the effects of trusts, COM
bines. ETC., upon labor. In previous
speech the senator had printed the list
of 900 tariff trusts" as prepared by Hon.
John De Witt Warner for the New York
World. AS written there the main OBJ
ject was to show that tariffs foster trusts
and that trusts invariably advance prices
or at least retard their natural decline.
The object of the new matter introduced
by Senator Vest is to show that trusts by
keeping mills idle throw men out Of en-
ployment and by increasing the number
of competitors for each job of work tend
to lower wages:
"Cordage Trust Gncluding binding
Irvine, cables, rope, Irvine, etc.)-Tariff:
Binding Irvine, Z cent per pound: other
Irvine, 2}5 cents per pound; hemp cables
and cordage, 81 : cents per pound; other
cables and cordage, Il : cents.
"The Cordage trust, which was formed
in October, 1897, furnishes good illus
tration of the way in which trusts affect
labor. AS the trust gained control of
more factories it not only was enabled
to limit production and advance prices,
but had power to dictate terms to its
employees. 1t was not until 1890, when
the trust was reorganized and when it
secured control of eleven cordage fac.
tories in Canada, that its power over pro-
duction and labor became supreme.
Aside from the maintaining of high
prices, which of itself limits the use Of
cordage and therefore the demand for
labor, the present condition of the mills
owned and controlled by the trusts Is
sufficient evidence Of the devastating eff
fects upon production and labor of this
trust, which has the following record of
lockouts and wage reductions in order
to insure sufficient profit at the mills,
kept running to pay dividends TO the
owners of the rest thus hired to stay idle.
On an average it takes about 100 en-
ployees to attend to 100 spindles; these,
in the binder Irvine mills, are mostly
girls, and in cordage and Irvine mills
mostly boys and men:
Tucker &c Carter Cordage company, Brook
Ign, 600 spindles. Not running full, but little
of time; averages perhaps 800 spindlcs.
l.. Waterbury d Co., Brooklyn, 200 or 500
spindlcs. Running most of time.
William Walls Sons, Brooklyn, 400 or 800
spindlcs. Entirely slut downin May, 1892, and
part of all the time.
Elizabeth Cordage company, New Jersey,
COO spindles. Burned out in 1891 and not since
rebuilt.
George c. Pooley &c Sons, Buffalo, 50 spin
dies. Closed part of the time.
Xcnia Irvine and Cordugc company, Ohio,
$50 spindles. Probably running most of the
time.
/. Rinek'5 Sons, Easton, Pa, % spindles.
Probably running regularly.
Akron Irvine and Cordagc company, Akron,
o., 30 spinGlcs. Recently rcsold to former
owner not now in the trust.
Victoria Cordagc company, Dayton, Ky, 100
spindlcs. Probably running regularly.
H.R. Lewis IL Co., Philadelphia, GO or so spin
dies. Has been shut down some time.
Baumgardner Woodward d. CO.. Fhiladcl-
phia, 80 spindlcs. Was dismantled by trust.
New York Cordage company, New York, 30
spindlcs. Was dismantlcd by trust.
Atlas Cordage company, New Oorleans, So
spindles. Was dismantled by trust.
Randall, roodale Il Co, Boston, % spindles
~ mas been shut down for some time,
Sweall d Day Cordagc company, Boston, 800
spindles. Probably running regularly.
Rnstnu Corlapp cpmDnuV ROStOu -Us1 Spin-
dies. Not running closed more than one
month ago.
Standard Cordagc company, Boston. 700
spindlcs. Not running; closed more than one
month ago.
Day Cordagc company, Cambridge, Mass, 60
spindlcs. Dsmantlcd by trust.
William Dccring IL Coz Chicago, 200 spin
dies. Probably running regularly.
Field Cordagc company, Ncnia, o., 100 spin
dies. Closed recently.
Miamisburg Binder Irvine and Cordagc com
pany, Ohio, eco spindles. Closed three weeks
ago.
Galveston Rope and Irvine company, Texas.
20 spindles. Closed since June u.
Suffolk Cordage company, Boston, 500 spin
dies. Running regularly.
Peru mills, Indiana, 40 spindlcs. Dismantled
by trust
Hanover Cordagc company, Pennsylvania,
ago.
Middletown Irvine company, Ohio, 80 spin
dies. Closed recently.
Ohio Cordagc company, Xenia, o., 100 spin
dies. Closed July2.
New Bedford Cordagc company, Massachu-
sets, 80 spindles. Not running since June |.
Lawrence Rope works, New York, 200 spin
dies. Running.
Peoria Cordage company, Indiana, 100 spin
dies. Running.
American Manufacturing bagging) compa-
ny, New York, 200 spindles. Not running since
Jan. !.
Miamisburg Cordago company, Ohio, 100
spindles. Recently acquired by National Cord
age company and closed July /.
"Of the eleven concerns III Canada be-
longing to the National Cordage trust
probably only about two-thirds are run
ming at all regularly. There, as here,
the tariff enables the trust to keep up
prices and make sufficient profits to pay
big dividends on idle mills and to pur-
chase at exorbitant prices establishments
that threaten to undersell the trust. The
trust also controls by agreement the
factories of w. l.. Boone, Jr., Brooklyn,
and Joseph l.. Podd, Paterson, manu-
facturers of binding Irvine and cordage
machinery, so that these companies,
which control and hold valuable patents,
cannot sell cordage machines to non
members of the trust. This decreases
the output of these machines and throws
labor out of employment"
But perhaps the worst evidence against
this trust as to its treatment of labor is
found in its deals with Mr.. John Good,
who has one of the largest and best
equipped cordage mills in the country.
This mill is situated at RavenswOod, L..
l., and when running employs 300 per-