The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1895-04-05
MATCH TRUST PROFITS
Conflicting Statements Of the TRUSTS We
ncers-Enormou~ prohts-


ncers-Enormous prohts.
The match trust diamond Match
Co has "A capital Of $4,000. 0DO-about
one-haf water. Its annual report,
made public on February 9th. shows
3,0s4 profits for 1894. In 1888, TINS
same trust declared regular and special
dividends amounting TO si,ol2,'oo'
Within "A few weeks II has increased It's
capital to Sii, 900, 900. This is the third
or fourth increase since 1858 when the
trust was Incorporated with $4,000, oOo
capital.
These enormous profits have been
made i'm spite OF the fact that the
trust closed all but about Is OF It's 81
mills In 1855 and has since been buying
| competing plants at high prices. the
most OF which il promptly closes Me-
Kinley encouraged this trust with
| duty which equalcd "a per cent The
Wilson bill left only 30 per cent. IL
should have removed all because our
exports in 1893 amounted u e'.''.f'
When O. C. Barber president OF the
trust in September 1898, was pleading
for the retention of the duty of 10 cents
per gross on matches ito keep up the
rate of wages we are now paying, ms
company was exporting matches 70 %
foreign countries and selling there on
a free trade basis While the wilson
bill was pending the Chicago spokes'
man of the trust said in an interview
printed in the Milwaukee Journal
1--WE ask no protection OF congress- De-
cause we do not need it. Matches are
. made SO cheap in this country that ior
eicn goods cannot be sold in competi
ton with rs. True there has been
dutv on matches for several years bu
II has not been kept at our reques'
a There may have been a time whe'
= such a protective duty was necessary
4 to develop the industry in TINS country
: but that day has passed long tim
a ago. 1t will probably surprise grea
A many people to know that less ina
500. 900 worth OF foreign matches ar
!, sold annually in the United States
\, These are chiefly fancy brands put
= in odd and attractive packages ~
!. fact is. matches cannot be maze
n Europe as cheaply as we make the'
- here. In Sweden nearly all the woI
=, Is done by hand, while in America III
IL chimes are used almost excusivei
=. we have one machine, for illustratio
= which takes a piece of straw board al
nd forms 1915 perfect boxes OF y eve
,a. minute. The cheapest hand LABOR
= earth cannot compete with machi
"a like that
80 After the passage of the bill leasi
~ 90 per cent duty on matches WOOD a
Willow Ware said: The Diamo
Match Co was able to induce the mi
~ ayers of the German tariff law OF
last congress to leave il 30 per &c
- protection in spite of the fact that Q
~. GERS OF the company had been talk
about putting up a factory in Liverp
IN compete with foreign manufact
ers Now il is announced that pi'
have been completed for the facto
and that O. G. Barber, president OF
comnanv. will soon leave for Liverp
to put the plans into erect H'i"e'
the only reason for the 20 per C
tariff on matches is to enaoie 'he
called trust to make its prices IN
country that much higher-provl'
domestic competition does not cor
them 10 be reduced.
Protection to the match industr,
n ALL other industries is great
:. swindle on the American people
iDI the people don't seem to MIND "
lWI the manufacturers are not asking
Iw prcss to give the country free
and thereby stop the swindie. "
nuts millions into their pockets
year As long as everybody i SAT-
the swindle will be continued-ano
play much longer.