The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1892-04-02
A WHITE LEAD TRUST
ORGANIZED AFTER MUCH NEGOTI-
ALTON, BUT VERY EFFECTIVE.

but That Of the Painters Raw Mate
rial Has Advanced While Wages Hav,
Not.
The lead industry of the United State.
is divided into three branches. tn. frs
is devoted to the mining of the ore, the
second to the smelling and refining Of
the miners product and the third to the
manufacture of the pig lead into sheets,
pipe, shot and white lead and its kin.
dred products. In the last two of these
branches several distinct trusts have
more or less complete control.
The greater part of the lead ore mined
in the United States is smelted in Colo
RADIO, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois. In
all of these states there are local com
binations among the smelters. But,
though it has often been attempted, nc
general combination has as yet been or
gained. Every attempt, therefore, to
control production and prices has ended
in failure, and however strong the local
combines may be, they have little effect
upon the general market.
In 1890 the leading shot manufacturers
fol1ued Il trust, which now has complete
control Of this important lead product.
Similarly other minor lead products are
controlled by more or less strong com
bines. But the leading trust in the lead
industries is the National Lead com
pany, recently. incorporated under the
laws of New Jersey. This company was
originally organized as u trust in Octo-
Der, 1887. Previous to that time the
corroders Of lead in the leading cities
were organized as are the smelters and
retiners today.
Thus in New York six large establish
ments had united and secured a charter
under the name of the National Lead
and Oil company. But such local com
bines were not strong enough to sup.
press competition, and whenever at
tempts were made to raise prices buyers
went to other producing centers. At
this stage of affairs the National Lead
trust was formed. No attempt was
made, as has been the case with other
trusts, to keep matters secret. Nor did
those who planned it deny that their
object was to form a trust. Their aim
was declared to be to decrease competi-
ton, introduce economics in production
and sale and thereby increase profits.
A trust or agreement was drawn up
providing that as soon as those who held
a majority of the stock of nine corpora
tons therein mentioned should sub
scribe to the agreement and transfer
their stock to the trustees, the trust
agreement should go into effect. BY
1889 twenty companies had joined the
trust. Since then eleven more have
been taken in or purchased outright.
There are therefore thirty-one different
corporations in the trust. OF these,
four are smelling and refining plants and
three are linseed oil mills, the remaining
twenty-six being devoted to the manu-
facture of white lead and its related
products.
The trust now controls all but about
4 per cent. Of the annual product OF
white lead, and it has Il smelling and re-
timing capacity sufficient to supply near
ly all of its material. At the same time
It's linseed oil mills produce more than
enough of oil to supply the amount used
by the trust in its business. Outside of
the trust there are in the United States
two important plants engaged in
white lead production. The trust there
fore has absolute control of the white
lead business.
During the first year Of IFS existence
trust operated at Il loss to the extent
Of $2G2 800, according to the report of
trustees. This was due to the com
on the part of independcn,
works. Some of the most IMPORTANT of
joined the trust in 1889. and by
means Of the higher prices thus made
the trust made a profit of ST.
l0l, 1919. In 1890 the trust increased its
net profit to 81, 02S ,552. This large i'll
crease i'll the profits made by the trust
was the direct result of the higher prices
Of white lead inaugurated by the trust
as compared with the prices existing be-
the trust secured its monopoly. The
average monthly prices Of pig lead and
white lead in oil in New York have been
follows since 1886:
NEW YORK PRICE OF PIC LEAD.