The evening times., 1896-10-19

Washington brick kmakers are wondering
what Is going to happen to their interests
when the proposed giant brick trust. al
present being formed in Chicago, shall
take ats place III the Held II Building indus
tries.
The new project is to line up with the
hundreds Of other kindred organizations
If predatory monOpolies trusts, POOLS and
syndicates.
Meme of the local briokmakcrs, with the
possible exception of the Washington Hy-
urauiic Press Bnck Company, have been
asked to enter the combine. The present in
tentionS. SO local dealers are Informed, are
that the trust shall be formed with a
capital Of So, 500 900, OF which no wever, it
is proposed that but $500 900 shall be paid
in at once as a working capital. The re-
inainder Is to be divided up into stock, OF
which each Company in the deal shall have
the share represented by its own capital.
ON A CASH, BASIS. .---s --
Tue reason for the comparariyely small
working capital is from the fact that the
new company will do business only on a
strictly cash basis, OF what. according to
universal practice. is accpeted as such.
AS the concern increases its business and
new companies are admitted, the capital
will be increased from time to time.
The proposed plan is 10 organize a corpo--
ration which Will, after 1t shall once get
a firm footing, incl ude all the leading brick
works in the country, and should any refuse
to become allied with it, they. with the
smaller concerns, will be driven out OF busi-
ness. Its further object is to limit the
output OF bricks and raise their price after
the manner OF the coal trusts and other
similar Com bincs, though this ultimate
purpose does not appear on the face OF the
plan now being considered for tue move
ment.
The central selling agency is to be in
Chicago, and to ii all Of the companies
among whom the stock is to be pro-
portiOned Will sell their bricks. Already
some seventy companies have signified
their intention of Joining the combine, and
thcseinclu ude the eleading brick manufacturers
in the country.
AN OLD CONCERN.
The concern, Washington brick manu-
facturers say. is not in reality u. new one.
il is simply the recreation of an old one.
aud a reOrca nization on a vastly larger
scale. a year ago last spring the Brick
makers Exchange OF Chicago W as organ
lied. 1t was "A small trust. local in its
nature. and including all the high-class
brickmakers in the Windy City. All the
manufacturers in the ring sold to it, and
the combine became very successful. While
it is said the price OF bricks was not raised
Benefit was derived from the fact that as
pypFVt hing Innp IL ia
smaller and Iusolvent, Ioor-pay contrac-
tors, from whom many losses were sus-
tanned, were rrlegated to the rear-either
forced to pay cash, go out Of business or
seek smaller concerns, which themselves
failed through the insolvency of these con-
tractors - ''
Now this trust proposes to reorganiZe,
increase its capital and include everything
in sight and produce each brick that goes
into every structure. from the largest build
ing down to an ordinary chimney. s...,
The Washington Hydraulic Press Brick
Company is already in a sort of association
of some dozen or more manufacturers Of
hydraulic press bricks for mutual protec-
tion and advantage. with Headquarters in
St Louis. 1t will only be affected as its
Chicago reprcsentativ in the association
enters the new combine.
Speaking to Times reporter. the mana
ger of the Washington Hydraulic Press
Brick Company said:
Il am personally strongly opposed to all
pools, trusts, combines and syndicates
which limit the product of an article and
increase its price i personally know that
the local Chicago trust, of, which the pro-
posed combine is an outgrowth, was motor
ganized for that purpose.
ITS REAL OBJECT.
Its object was to protect the manufactur-
ers composing it from insdIvent cont FACTORS
by all selling to the trust. which would only
sell to builders for cash, and they were thus
secured against losses which they could
not do acting singly. This believe to be
much the purpose of the new trust. don't
think it Will reach out much be yond Chi
cago, and will be largely of a local nature !;
but it will, however, include all Of the
high grade md rough brick kmanufacturersin
that section, which it did not do hereto
FORE
Neither the Ivy City Brick Company. the
Washington, the Virginia or any of the
other local companies will he included in
the proposed combine.
SeNeiei Hedis aSo tueIe WAS iO1ipd In
this city local brick trust, which soon
went to pieces after increasing the price of
brick from 81 to So, according to the grade.
IL collapsed, owing to the fact that some Of
the members of the pool, in order to secure
the contracts for supplying the material for
several large bui ldings began cutting
prices, which caused a smash up in the
concern. -..t,> .,.s.. ...-.
1t is said that several of the smaller local
brick manufacturers are in a bad way, one
company having recently lost some $500
from an insolvent contractor, and that a
trust would greatly benefit them II they
were able TO get on the ground floor, but
otherwise it would speedily drive them
20 ha