Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-18
Exclusive Privilege to Make
Glass at the Worlds Fair
Goes to Toledo.
LIBBY BOUGHT THE RIGHT.
He Is to Pay Over 100000 and 25
Per Cent of the Profits.
ALL THE HOME MEN HAD in BIDS,
Rut Their Figures We're Not the Size the
Commission Wanted
THEY PLAY THE PARTOF SECOND FIDDLE

Pittsburg glass manufacturers seem per-
fectly satisfied to play second fiddle to the
little city of Toledo, O., in the matter of
giving a working exhibit of their plants at
the Worlds Fair Word was received here
Yesterday that the exclusive right to manu-
facture and sell cut, blown and
nodded glassware had been let to
the Libby Glass Company, whose
works are located at Findlay. The COM
panv agrees to erect a plant at cost of
$4,000 The building will be constructed
almost entirely of glass and steel, and will
be lit up with electric lights, and no doubt
will present beautiful spectacle by day
and night.
A member of the commission said that
the contract had been let to the highe st
bidder. The plan had been properly sent
ont, but they had not had time to go deeply
into the matter Everybody has had a fair
show and there was no discrimination against
Pittsburg, or any other place, for that mat
ter
But don't you suppose some of these
Pittsburg men who have millions of dollars
invested in this business would have been
glad to erect S75, 900 building or S175, 900
one, for that matter, in return for such
valuable privilege, besides giving the COM
pany equally as great percentage Of their
receipts"
perhaps so, yes, but we had no time to
search the country over for such offers as
that made by the Libby company. We
accepted its terms because they were the
best offered.
Libby Had to Pay a Fancy Price.
''They give us 25 per cent of the gross
receipts, besides paying all the expense of
putting up the building, as well as all other
items of necessary expenditure in connec-
tion with the exhibit"
'Then all other manufacturers will not
only be forbidden to sell glassware on the
grounds, but they will as well be prevented
from making exhibits showing how their
goods are manufactured ="
'Well, no, wouldn't say that exactly.
OF course, they will be prevented from
making sales. but they can possibly put in
manufacturing plants, if the chief of this |
department sees fit to allow them so to do. |
But still 1 do not think he will. 1t would |
hardly be fair to allow an outsider to come |
in and make manufacturing exhibit after |
the Libby company has paid so handsomely |
for the privilege. If 1 were the head of the |
Libby company 1 would seriously protest
against any such encroachment.
81 think the Libbys will be the only |
mandatory on the grounds One curious |
thing is that the glass men appear to be the |
only ones who suffer in this way. 1t is more i
than probable, however, that the members
of the Ways and Means Committee see the
danger of pursuing further the policy they |
have mapped out in regard to the glass
manufacturers. If carried out it would |
make the several departments of manufact-
ure huge commercial advertising schemes
for the benefit of few firms.
Glass Men Win Suffer.
''That the glass men of Pittsburg and
other cities will suffer cannot be doubted,
and it is only to be feared that those who
have been shut out will become discouraged
and either not exhibit at all or make dis
PLAYS that will not do credit to themselves
or the Worlds Fair
An effort was made to see several we'll
known glass manufacturers last night. The
only one found was J. S. Atterbury, of
Atterbury & Co. When shown the above
report Mr.. Atterbury said:
''That is all right. Those people are
SallSucu WIN LllClI duu 81 are We |
Pittsburg was not Disseminated against in
the least. We all had chance to bid for
it and the highest bidder got it.
''The Libbvs are welcome to their bar
gain" continued Mr.. Atterbury. ''Three
hundred Thousand dollars is big price to
pay for the privilege, and that is not the
only thing They will have to construct
their own plant, and besides pay 25 per
cent of their receipts. As l said before, We
all had a chance at bidding, but the hitch
was in the percentage. All the firms here
had bids in, including the United States
Glass Company, but none would
give more than Is per cent,
and the commission wanted %,
which was finally given by the Libbys.
There is no doubt but what they have un-
dertaken large contract, and rather than
feel grieved over losing the exhibit we
are disposed to help them out.
Not Shut Out Completely.
'You know 1 have the patents on the
woven glass cloth, which process will be
included in the Libby exhibit, and other
manufacturers who have specialties will alse
do the same thing On the whole / think
We are to be congratulated that we are
well rid of the worry of an exhibit. This
thing of making exhibits at fairs and e1-
hibitions hardly pays the manufacturer any
more The expense attached to it really
eACeeuS IIe anu LOT myself L
am perfectly satisfied with the action of the
commission and will do everything 1 can
to help the successful bidder along"
Other franchises have been let to COM
panies that have netted considerable to the
commission. The exclusive right to land
passengers at the dock has been let to the
Henry syndicate, composed of Chicago and
Eastern capitalists They propose to build
a number of whaleback passenger boats to
carry the passengers Another monopoly
is the manner of polishing and set
ting precious stones. But one firm
will be permitted to make an
exhibit of that kind. Another firm has Sc
cured the exclusive right to sell souvenir
medals and still another secured the right
TO run the toilet rooms. Some of them will
be cheap affairs and will be free, but to the |
majority an admission fee of cents will be |
charged.
A Court Trial Worth Seeing.