The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1896-07-18
LIAsEED OIL COMBINATION
Efforts Made to Increase the
Prices Of Products.
Meetings Held at Niagara Falls by
All the Large Manufacturers
From the East and West
ITO Govern Sales.

New York., July 3.-EffortS to estabL
lish harmony of action among the lin
seed oil manufacturers in this country =
have recently assumed much signing
cance. The condition of the linseed oil
market has been riifavorable to profit
making for several months, sharp COM
petition having sent the price down to
a point that scarcely covers the price
of production. Various conferences
have been held i'll this city and else
where within the last few weeks, fSv
the purpose of forming a combination
to restore the price of linseed oil to a
paying basis and to keep it there.
Nothing Of a definite character has
been accomplished thus far. Nearly all
OF the manufacturers and dealers agree
as to the d~esirability of raising the price
OF the oil above Its present figure of 81
cents a gallon. but the interests in
volved are so diversified that but little
actual progress in the way of ~organiza-
ton has been made. There were two or
three largely attended meetings at the
International hotel. Niagara Falls, last
week, at which numerous suggestions
were discussed for the formation of a
mutually protective league, such as
would not would not flash with the anti
trust law. Representatives of all the
leading linseed oil dealers, both east and
west, attended these meetings.
The National Linseed Oil company,
which is sometimes spoken of as the
trust" was represented by its president.
Alexander Euston. This company IN
trolls thirty-seven mills. nearly all of
which are In the west. Besides the Ma =
tional company, there are twenty
seven Independent mills represented, in
Guiding some of the largest concerns in
the east. These We're the NationalLead
company, the Dean Linseed Oil COM
pany. and the Campbell & Thayer, all
Of this city. Arthur Dean and Arnold
Thayer Of the two last named concerns
attended the Niagara Falls meetings
on behalf of the New York city manu-
facturers, or ''crushers," between whom
and the western mills there has long
existed a bitter a~ntagonism, arising, it
Is said, from the inroads which the lat
ter succeeded in making on the busi-
ness of the local establishments. This
warfare reached a climax May %, when
the New York manufacturers made a
cut of 3 cents a gallon in the price of oil.
with the view of driving their foes from
the field. But these tactics proved I'M
awaiting, as their competitors promptly
met the cut by a like reduction. This
proved to be a losing game, however,
and soon overtures came from Doth
sides for q truce, resulting in the meet
ings mentioned.
One Of the propositions submitted was
to form a great combination, embracing
the entire linseed oil trade in this u
try, each one Of it's members to be
pledged to obey its regulations relative
to prices, and the governing power to be
vested in an executive board. 1t is as
serted that one of the features of the
proposed agreement is that each manu-
facturer subscribing to it must make a
cash deposit Of from 500 to $500, to be
forfeited should he sell below the stlp-
ulated pool price. One of the first things
that the proposed combination would do
would be to advance the price of linseed
oil at least 8 cents a gallon.
, The annual consumption of linseed oil
in the United States is about IS, 900, 900
gallons. The present wholesale price is
81 cents per gallon, against SO cents one
year ago, the prevailing low figures be-
ing due partly to competition and part
ly to the cheapness Of flax seed. from
which the oil is made.
The Messrs. Dean of the Dean Linseed
OIL company, at Front and John streets.
in this city. said that, so far as they
knew, nothing of a practical character
was accomplished at Niagara Falls.
There was a great deal of talk, but that
was all. Arthur Dean attended the
meetings, but he was not very sanguine
over the prospect. He said the price of
nnseed Oil was now too low, n he
hoped that some awful means would