Evening journal., 1895-11-05
MANY MEN LOCKED OUT
United States Leather Trust
Shuts Down Temporarily.
TANNERIEs CLOSED FOR 60 DAYS

N@tN~-NR
over Fifteen Thousand Men Thrown Out
of Work For That Time-The Trust Il
said to 80 Hard Pushed by Its Inde-
pendent Rivals.
NEW YORK, Nov. 5.--The United States
Leather company, known as the Leather
trust shut down tho 100 tannerios under
It's control. The trust will not take an
bthor hide from its watts for go days.
During the 90 days that the 100 tanner
los are closed moro than 10000 laborers,
tanners, clerks and employees generally
viii be without work or wages.
Tho facts relating TO the shutdown, IL
Is believed, show that the Leather trust
has been beaten at its game Of controlling
the market and Is on the run. Tho indi-
cations are. however, that the move now
made will reinstato the trust, not only in
Wall street. but In tho market.
The meeting at which the lock up was
decided on was held ten days ago at tho
Office Of the trust. % Ferry street As a
result an order was sont 20 the tannories
Saturday last TO put no more hides In the
watts and to take mono out after Monday,
so that the closedown took effect at o
o'clock last evening.
The prime movers In the combine kept
their action secret. Tho leading mon
would not be seen for an explanation, one
OF them, James r. Plum, directing his
servant TO tell reporters he was not at
home
The principal concerns merged into the
trust in May 1873, are Barnes ~ Merritt,
=. G. Costello a. Co.. Hoaley a. Co., Lee
q Co. Bullard a. Co., fnyerweather q
I.adew, II. G.. Lopham & Co., Hall &
Vaughn J. r. Plum q Co, Hoyt Bros.
and Tuhby q Co.
Frank Hoyt is president Of tho trust,
and the secretary Is Josiah II. Tubby.
The main tanneries are In the hemlock
and oak forests Of Pennsylvania. Others
arc In Now York, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia,
West Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee and
tho Carolinns.
Tho concerns shut up represent 30 per
cent of the homlock tanneries and 40 per
cent OF the union crop tho latter 80 called
heonuse they use combination OF hom-
lock and oak bark in tanning. Few Of the
strictly oak tanneries are included, as they
are mostly ont Of the trust
Tho Rivals Of the Trust
The principal rivals OF tho trust are
Keok Mosser & Co. OF $50 frankfort street.
| this city. and kistlor. Lesh a Co. OF Bos-
ton Tho Swifts and Armours who opor-
atod IN Boston as the Boston Leather COM
| pany, are also outside tho combine. The
| credit, however, of making trouble for the
| trust belongs, according to we'll informed
| men In tho trade, Go Thomas keck Of New
| York, who has ten tannerios employs
more than g 900 men and has an output
| Of 25 900 hides a week. The rival he Is
/ fghting gots ont about s5. 600 hides.
"Mr Keck " said one OF tho most ex-
tonsivo tanners In the Swamp last night
went quietly out and bought large
amount OF hides al fair prices. He got
himself stocked up and then found that,
rs he had expected he could givo the
trust a whirl by underselling and still
make money. While pretending to hold
up prices his men, about seven weeks ago,
negotiated private sales at 9 cents below
the current prices, which were 80, "a and
80 cents.
"This WINS shock to the trust which
at once ourtaiied its output 90 per cent
and later 10 made further reduction in
| operations Of 10 per cent. IL did not meet
the cut price, however and as trade was
| dull anyway, an impetus having been
| given to IL only by the cutting OF keck,
Mosser & Co., IL did no business The Of
feet on the United States Leather COM
Il panys stock was immediate; from 80
cents It tumbled to low In the seventies.
ION Oct. he mado another reduction
| OF cents and TO make matters worse the
l Now York concern was Joined by lNlstler,
1 Losh 4 Co. OF Boston, big company.
The trust was forced to meet the cut, but
did so too late TO help the stock, which to-
day Is nearly nc 40.
"Tho trust men have figured-and they
hre right--that the opposition has about
sold It's stocks. know that lxistler, Lesh
| 4 Co. were practically closed out a week
ago, and Keck, Mosser a. Co. will soon
have closed out. The trust now has a GER
tainty that by stopping production IL will
soon have a good thing Of it, with pretty
much all the hides going I'm its watts. Then,
too, tho longer hides stay in the watts the
heavier is the leather produced. and as
leather Is sold by the pound no further
explanation on this point Is necessary.
"Of course the hide market will suffer,
eutailing loss upon handlers workmen
and producers. Thus the shoe men will
be forced to eventually pay trust prices,
the hide market will be demoralizcd, and
much suffering will ensue. ] would not
be surprised 60 see leather go 20 40, AS il
did in 1879 which would moan an in.
crease in common shoes of 20 cents each.
i Leather Is now 32 and below. The move
Is hound TO greatly enhance the price Of
sole leather, the most important Of all
that Is manufactured.
A tannery man said the public need not
worry just now about an advance IN shoes.
"The busy season is just beginning
said no, 'and the manufacturers will have
TO buy 90 once at the advance, but it takes
q hide some time to reach the feet Of the
people-six months at least"
Another kentucky Tragedy.
/ Louisville. Nov. 5.-James Lee Shot