Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-11-18
ANOTHER GREAT TRUST TO BE FORMED

Tho trust Industry, at least, ia greatly
stimulated by the Dingley bill. 1t
strengthened the old ones and encour.
aged the formation of new ones. And
among the latter is to be one OF the
greatest ever known in this country
tina Wire Trust.
This trust, ii is shown by the New
York Evening Post, is to gather into
itself practically all the companies in
the country now engaged in making in
sulated wires and cables for electrical
purposes. The output of such wires
and cables during the last ten or fifteen
years has been something enormous.
The electric railway industry, for ex-
ample, which did not exist ten years
ago, to-day has nearly 81, 800, GOO, 600 in.
vested; and no small part OF that money
had to go for the cables which carry
the current to the trolley wires, and
for the wiring Of the cars. and other
such uses. In electric lighting, the in.
yestmont is not far short of 81, 000,
0OO, 000, and every lamp, no matter
where it IL, indoors or out, at whatever
distance from the central station which
makes the current, has to be reached
by insulated cables and wires. Millions
and millions of feet have been required
10 this department alone. Then there
is telephony, which requires enormous
quantities of cables and iine wires; and
while the telegraph business ia done
largely with bare copper and iron wire,
the expenditure for American cables
across rivers aud streams, and for lead.
covered cables in the conduits which
ramify under our great cities, is
stupendous in the aggregate. Thon,
every electric motor and every electric
dynamo has to be built with insulated
wire ranging in Hizo from one as fine as
woman's hair up to the one as thick
as mans wrist Besides thia, all the
interior wiring OF hotels. business
otlices, factories and houses for electric
bells, push buttons and annunciators
mas to be done with insulated wires.
1t is said that at the present time the
output 10 value Of the various sizes ia
from $40, 600, 600 to So, 900, 900 year,
and that thousands OF men are employed
Ivy the score of conpanios interested in
making the cable, in marketing it, and,
where required in installing it. When
the panic came, about four or five years
ago, the industry was in good coDdi-
tion, and large profits were being
made. Vita the panic, prices went
down, but il 60 happened that the low
cost of building material was great
temptation to those who had the money
to put up for new buildings, and in
these buildings the consumption of
electric wire and cable for all purposes
is to. day very large. 1t thus happened
that the manufacturers of insulated
wire and cable, while they saw their
output growing at rapid rate, and
their order larger than ever before,
also saw their prices cut TO pieces, and
it is an open secret that for some time
pnst they have been making little or no
money. Spasmodic efforts have been
made from tins to time to stilfen prices
up but as there was no common agree
ment or understanding, failure was the
result every time.
1t ia said that one Of the first at.
tempts in the direction of putting up
prices was based on polling plan,
each company to take from committe
proportion Of work in keeping with
its capacity. That plan, after consid-
cradle discussion, failed. At the pres
ent time, according to the rumors which
are afloat, sumo fifteen or sixteen OF
the leading companies have attacked
the subject again on the plan Of form
ing Trust, nr what is virtually con,
solicitation. The capital to engineer the
scheme has. it is alleged. bsen asked
for in England, but the deal ia not yet
complete.
There are fifteen or sixteen large wire
factories in operation 10 tho country.
and all are expected to come into the
combination and work together 40 as Il
regulate production and keep up prices
Ii will be an enormous aggregation Gi
capital ami facilities, and will undoubt
edy maku great deal of money. But
as usual, the people will have to foo
tho bill.