The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1892-09-06
TRUSTS VS.. LABOR.
HOW LABOR is CRUSHED THAT
PRICES MAY BE ADVANCED.

shown In the Record OF Lockouts and
Wage Reductions Made in order to In
sure rroils TO Owners of Idle Mills
The following from the speech of Sem
Rtor Vest OF July 90, and printed in The
congressional Record of July %, is good
evidence Of the effects of trusts. COM
bines, etc, upon labor. In a previous
speech the senator had printed the list
of 100 tariff trusts as prepared bv Hon.
John De Witt Warner for the New York
World. AS written there the main OBJ
Ject was to show that tariffs foster trusts
ana that trusts invariably advance prices
or at least retar1 their natural decline.
Inc 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 compeu tors for each job Of work tend
to lo.Yer ages.
.Cordage Trust dncIuding binding
twine, cables. rope, twine, etc. Tariff:
Binding twine, n cent per pound: other
twine. 21z cents per pound; hemp cables
and cordage, 21s cents per pound; other
cables and cordage, i Is cents.
The Cordage trust, which was formed
in October. 1887, furnishes a 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.
he.
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
locl1outs 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 stayidle.
On an average it takes about 100 en-
ployees to attend to 100 spindles; these.
in the binder twine mills. are mostly
girls, and in cordage and Irvine mills
mostly boys and men:
Tucker g. Carter Cordage company, Brook
lyn, COO spindles. Not running full, but little
of time; averages perhaps 300 spindles
L. Waterbury & Co.. brooklyn. 200 or 500
bplnuleH. kunning most OF time.
William Walls Sons. BROOKLYN 400 or zoo
spindles- Entirely shut down in May, 1899, and
part OF all the time.
Elizabeth cordnge company, New Jersey.
COO snindles. Burned out in 1901 and not since
rebuilt
George c. PooIey & Sons; Buffalo. 90 spin-
dies Closed part of the time.
Xenia Twine and Cordage company, Ohio
i5o spindles- Probably running most of the
l. Rinek,s Sons. Easton, Pa. 70 spindIcs.
Probably running regularly.
Akron Twine and Cordage company. Akron
o., 30 spindles- Recently resold to former
owner; not now in the trust.
Victoria Cordage company, Dayton, KY, 100
spindles- Probably running regularly.
H. X Lewis & Co, Philadelphia, co or so spin
dies Has been shut down some time.
Baumgardner. Woodward g. Co., PhiladeI-
rhia. 70 spindles- Was dismantled by trust
New York Cordage company, New York. 35
spindles. Was dismantled by trust
Atlas Cordage company. New Oorleans 35
spindles. Was dismantled by trust.
Randall, Goodale & Co, Boston, 50 spindIes
Has been shut down for some time.
Sweail d Day Cordage company, Boston, 600
spindles. Probably running regularly
Boston Cordage company. Boston, 200 spin
dies Not running: closed more than one
Standard cordage company, Boston. 700
spindles- Not running. closed more than one
month ago.
Day cordage company. Cambridge, Mass, co
splnuleS. DlSfnnnIieu by trust.
William Deering d Co., Chicago. nce SPIN
dies. Probably running regularly.
Field cordage company. Xenia, o., 100 s2In-
dies. Closed recently.
Miamisburg Binder Twine and Cordage COM
pany. Ohio, 2uo spindles. Closed three weeks
ago.
Galveston Rope and Twine company. Texas.
% spindles. Closed since June 10.
Suffolk Cordage company. Boston, 300 spin
dies. Running regularly.
Peru mills, Indiana, 10 spindles. Dismantled
by trust.
Hanover Cordage company, Pennsylvania.
20 spindles- Closed indefinitely three weeks
ago.
NIiddletown Twine company. Ohio, i5O spin
dies. Closed recently.
Ohio Cordage company. Xenia, o., 100 spin
dies Closed July g
New Bedford Cordage company. Massachu-
setts. $50 spindles. Not running since June l.
Lawrence Rope works, New York, 200 spin
Peoria cordage company. Indiana, 100 spin
dies. Running.
American Manufacturing Cbagginel compa-
Jan I.
Miamisburg Cordage company, Ohio. 100
spindles. Recently acquired by National Cord
age company and closed July I.
"Of the eleven concerns in Canada be-
longing to the National Cordage trust
probably only about two-thirds are run
ming at all regularly. There, as here,
bne tarlII enaDleS lne trust 10 Keep up
prices and make sufficient profits to paw
big dividends ON idle mills and to pur-
chase at exorbitant prices establishments
that threaten TO underse1l 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 twine and cordage
machinery, so that these companies,
which control and hold valuable patents,
cannot sell cordage machines to nom
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-
sons For some time previous to Nov.
2, 1891, the Cordage trust had been pay
ing Mr.. Good $780, per year to keep
his mill idle. On Nov. 2, 1891, this
amount was increased to 5000, 900, and
the agreement was carried ont until
April 4, 1892, when Mr.. Good returned
the trusts check, because at the high
prices at which cordage had been selling
he found that he could make more money
by operating his mill