West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1892-10-13
RECORD OF ONE WEEK
NOT A PLEASANT CONTEMPLATION
FOR THIS M'KlNLEY ipOLATERs.

FOh lrtS MNiNLEH lDOlAT Frs.
Trusts Formed, Minis Closed. Price. Raised
and Wages Reduced Ia Ar;iGciaiiy stim-
aiated rndustrics-A Very Startling
condHior.
IL ia the claim OF professionalism
ridiculous as it is gcueral-that protec.
tion tariffs tend 60 destroy inonopolies
aud trusts, To Increase production, to
lower prices and To raise wages. Tariff
rcforners take different view on all
these points and base their opinions less
upon theory and moro upon facta They
have recently called tho attention of the
country 10 u list Of lC0 tariff trusts, to "A
list OF 500 wage reductions in protected
industries since October 1890. 10 hum
drcds OF articles on which both the duty
and tho price have been increased. To-
hundreds of mills md factories closed
10y thc3c tariff trusts TO restrict produc-
hon. ana To numerous other similarTacts.
Readers of trade papers como across a
multitude of facts ON the tariff reform
sido OF this question Here are few
taken from Tho Weekly Iron Age of
Aug. 4, lS22--it should be remembered
That tho greatest of all protected indus
tries is that of iron and steel manufac.
turos
II publishes II list Of eight big iron aud steel
combines ani gf several smaller ones OF recent
date. These Embrace tho manufacture Of steel
rails, strncturalstccl, cruCibe and open hearth
steel, steel bilcio. wire rods, wrc. wire nails,
boiler aud tank plates, arinor plates, cut nnIls,
slabs, pig iron, bar iron, etc.
IL discusscS "thc tactlcs Of thc coRI eom1
binc," which has advanced prices of anthracite,
coal several times during the last few months.
aud which will continue to mako advances
from Time To time In u sort OF Rgi hmetical
progression with tho apparent if not openly
nVowed design OF reaching certain maximuu,
say 50 II ton for stovo-'beforo the snow
nica.'"
OF course tho duty OF - cents a ton ON bItu.
minous conl, which competes With anthracite.
makes ~ castor for the coal companies To reach
n certain definite maximum"
ItsRye, "rhe latest combine I'm tho mcrcantile
world IA n FUR pool with Sl0.OOO,UOO capital, In
which nearly oil the firms I'm the trade have
become Interested" This H. the George ".
1rcadwcll tr at, which has n monopoly OF tho
seal fur industry of Alaska, and also OF tho
dyoing OF furs, and which can adjust prices in
this country up To the limits Of a duty
IL announces hrmer aud upward prices for
wire aud cut nailD and "a reduction OF q To 10 Der
cent. In the scale OF wages for wire drawing for
lSp2 and 1898; also that large number OF wire
and cut nail mills are shut down.
IL says, Tho Continental Tube works nj
Frankstown, near Iittsburg, has closed down
for an indefinite period" because "the firm did
not feel justified In buying s<Alp irnn in tho
oron market at tho recent advance In prices. -
"On account OF the depression In tho iron
market, tho Isabella Furnace company. opor-
ating tho Isabella furnace Rt Etna, Pa, has
banked down one stack and will probably hank
another during the present week"
'Addyston Pipe works, the largest In tho
country, has posted II notice OF IL shutdown
for nm indefinite period"
Tho Dunbar Furnace company nj Dunbar
Pa, operating the two Dunbar furnaces, closed
them down on Saturday. July 30, for an in
definite period" closing down duo to ths
present depression existing In the pig iron
trade"
Tho Keystone Horseshoe company, OF Phila-
dolphin. las started upon thrce-fourtbs ca
pacity after shutdown OF three weeks dur
lug which time the workmen concluded t0
mako the required concessions" necessary to
resume work
Recent advances amounting 20 S3 aud s4 per
ton have been made In structural Htecl
There ie a better tone TO prices" Of barbed
wire and some Of the manufacturers have
Withdrawn their quotations"
1T Is estimated that about 1900 men arc
now Idle, ccusIng sOmo eighty buildings In
course of construction to Lc Tied UP" Ia New
York city.
at is intimatcd that during the present
month ~ porcoptiblo Increase in prices viii b0
noticed" for window glass.
The Iron Age attempts editorially To-
explain tho grave necessity which exists
Tor the leyeling of wages" In the iron
industry. 1t says both prices and wages
have been on an artificial basis, and that
with the disappearance Of artificial
values aD artificial standard Of wages
also falls
These items such as occur every
week ~ give n fair idea OF industries
proppod up by n tariff-unsteady and
fiucluating prices and production, com
binations OF capital to restrict produc-
ton. raiso prices md reduce wages, la
bor unions 10 resist tho reductions.
strikes, boycotts and labor riots-all
paid for in the end by the consumer
who votes TO sustain this unnatural and
unhealthy SYSTEM Of providing for our
wants.