West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1892-10-13
TRUSTS VS.. LABOR.
HOW LAeOn IS CRUSHED THAT
PRICES MAY &c ADVANCED.

| choNh IN thc RECORD OF Locsouts aud
Wage Reduction. Made Ia Order to- In
sure rroAts TO Owners OF Idle Mills.
The following from the speech of SEN
ator Vest OF July 26, and printed in The
Congressional Record of July ~, is good
evidence of the effects of trusts. COM
Oines, etc, upon labor. In previous
speech the senator had printed the list
OF 100 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
Ihe object of the new matter introduced
! by Senator Vest is TO show that trusts by
Keeping mills idle throw men out of en-
J ployment and by increasing the number
OF competitors for each job Of work tend
| to lower wages:
"Cordage Trust Gncluding binding
twine, cables, rope, irvine, etc. Tariff:
Binding twine, 4 cent per pound; other
twlne, p cents per pound: hemp cables
and cordage, 2l9 cents per pound; other
cables and cordage, l !! 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 il 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 il
secured control of eleven cordaye 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 devasta ting ef-
fects upon production and labor OF this
trust, which has the following record of
lockouts and wage reductions in order
| 10 Insure sufficient profit mt the mills
Kept running 20 pay dividends to the
owners OF the rest thus hired to stay idle.
On an average 1t takes about 100 en-
| ployees TO attend TO 100 spindles; these,
In the binder twine mills, are mostly
| girls, and lii cordage and twine mills
mostly boys and men:
Tucker & Carter Cordage company. Brook
! iyn, COO spind!os. Not running full, but little
! OF ilnle; averages perhaps oO1 splndlcs
! J.. Waterbury * Co, Brooklyn, zoo or 800
/ spindlcs. Running most OF time.
! William Walls sons Brooklyn, 400 or zoo
| spindles. Entirely shut down In May, is9. and
| part of Gll the time.
Elizabeth Cordase company. New Jersey.
J 600 spndlca. Burned OFT I'm ISL and NO, .i,,cc
rebuilt
! George c. Pooey G Sons. Buffalo, 90 spin-
| dies. Closed part OF the time.
Nenia Twine and Cordage company, Ohio.
lso fpndie0. Probably running most Of the
! ]. Rinck's Sons. Easton, Pa, - spindIss.
! Probably running regularly
Akron Twinc and Corda.e company, Akron.
| D., 1O s9inGlcs. Recently reso,d TO former
! owner; not now In the trust.
] Victoria Cordage company. Dayton, KY, 100
] spindIes. Probably running regularly.
IL. *. Lewis & Co. Philadelphia. co or 20 spin
| dies. Has been shut down some time
BRumGnrdner Woodward & Co, PhiladoI-
! phia, % spindlcs. Was dismnntled by trust
New York CoTdagc company, New TC.k 35
! spindles. Was dismantlcd by trust
Atlas COrdGge company, New Ourlcans 81
splndleS. Was dlsmnntlcd by trust.
Randall, GoOda,c e Co, Boston 20 sDiudles
| Has been shut down for some time
bweal ds Day Cordagc company. Boston, 500
| spindies. Probably running regularly
| Boston COrdagc company Boston 700 amin
dies. Not running; closed moro than one
| month ago.
! standard CorIage company. Boston, 200
| spindles. Not running; closed more than one
! month ago.
Day Cordagc company, Cambridge. Mnss On
! spindles. DismRatled by trust
William Dcering d Co.. Chicago, 200 spin
| dies. Probably running regularly.
/. Field COrdage company, Xenia, o.. IS0 spin.
/ dies. Closed recently
Miamisburg Binder Twinc and Cortlnge com
| pany, Ohio, @J0 spindles. Closed three wocks
! ago.
Galveston Rope and Twino compenv. Toxos
/ 20 spindles. Closed since June lb
Suffolk Cordagc company. Boston, 800 spin
| dies. Running regularly.
Peru mills, Indiana, 20 spindles. Dismantlcd
] by trust.
| Hanover Cordngc company, Pennsylvania
! 20 spindles. Closed indefinitely three weeks
/ ago.
Middletown Twinc company, Ohio, 80 spin-
/ dies. Closed recently.
Ohio Cordago company, Xonin, o.. 100 spin-
| dies. Closed July2.
New Bedford Cordagc company. Massachu.
sets. 20 spndles. Not running since June
Lawrence Rope works. New York, 200 spin
! dies. Running
! Peoria Cordago company, Indiana, 100 spin
dies. Running
! American Manufacturing Obngging, comm.
\ ny. New York, 200 spindlcs. Rot running since
! Jan. ].
| Miamisburg Cordnge company. Ohio. 100
l spindles. Recently acquired by National Cord
age company aud closed July I.
"Of the eleven concerns in Canada be-
| longing 10 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 aud make sufficient profits to pay
big dividends on idle mills and TO pur-
| chase eX0rbtant prices establishments
/ that Threaten 60 undersell the trust. The
/ trust also controls by agreement the
! factories Of w. l., Boone, Jr.. Brooklyn.
and Joseph l.. Podd. Paterson, manu-
| facturer3 of binding twiue and corda1e
machinery, so that these companies.
which control and bold valuable patents.
cannot sell cordage machines 70 non.
| members of the trust. This decreases
I the output Of these machines and throws
/ labor out Of employment"
/ But perhaps the worst evidence against
\ this trust as TO it's treatment Of labor is
I found In its deals with Mr. John Good.
/ who has one Of the largest and best
/ equipped cOrdage mills in the country.
I This mill is situated AZ Ravenswood. l..
! l., and when running employs 300 per
| SOILS. For some time previous 20 Nov.
I 2, 1891, the COrdage trust had been pay
iuu M (1c,I ef.0 900 80, ~.o.... -. -.