The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-08-04
Wire Nails, Trusts, Wages, Prices.

1t is a little less than thirty years
since Father Goebel varied his minis
trations by making wire nails in Cow
ington, KY. He made sets Of dies, cut
the wire to lengths, clamped the pieces
in his dies, upset one end for the head
and drew the other to a point on an
anvil. That was the beginning in this
country of an industry that has driven
the old cut nail practically out of ex-
istence Now machines do what the
good father did by hand, and turn out
$50 nails a minute. Like all industrial
revolutions, the invasion of the cut
wire nail irto and conquest Of the ter
ritory of the cut nail was accompanied
with great destruction of property, the
capital invested in machinery to make
cut nails being rendered valueless. An
interesting volume could be written on
the destructiveness of invention
Recently, there came another inven-
ton, one whose destructiveness is a
thing demonstrated, and whose useful
ness is yet a matter of discussion, the
Trust. 1t went into wire nails three
or four years ago. Its promoters could
not cork the trade up tight because
some nailers refused to go in. So it
turned to the makers of nail machines,
whose patents gave them a monopoly,
and obtained the exclusive sale of their
machines. Then they ran the price of
nails up, up, UP. From about dollar
base rate they flew to $3.50. Then a
Cincinnati mailer, who wanted to in
crease the number of his machines and
found the trust monopolized the out
put and would not sell to him, brought
suit to smash the trust and it collaps-
ed. Nails went to IS cents a key. Then
the trust took a fresh start. 1t took
in fourteen of the largest plants in the
country. There are siXty-one in all,
making 4S per cent of the entire pro-
duct of the mills, but its are the larg-
est, and are situated at distributive
points which give it an advantage in
the markets over the little fellows. 1t
has worked the price back to $1.60
The trust did not stop making nails at
So cents, and claims now that there is
no money in nails at S15O.
So it orders a reduction of wages.
The cut ranges from AZ per cent at
Anderson, Ind, to 33 per cent at Cleve
lduu. ". llS pr d ooy AiSil Oh Z ~ SCI
1920. The men strike, the mills close
and each side addresses the public.
The trust says that nail mills in this
country can make 100000 kegs a year
and the consumption is half that. 1t
must get out into other markets with
it's nails or shut down half the year.
But the Belgian competitor, it's chief
one, pays SIPS day, and it cannot
meet them and pay 81 day. With it's
machinery and more dextrous work
men it can pay 81 day more than
the Belgian and compete. The work
men insist, on their part, that there is
a profit for the trust at present wages,
and they do not propose to accept the
cut They omit to add that their en-
ployers get tax of 60 cents key on
imported nails laid for the express pur-
pose of enabling them to pay their
workmen the wages they were getting,
and that the margin between import
and domestic prices indicates that
they are diligently collecting it. This
latter argument, however, if made,
would not move the consumers SYM
pathies, for, if he has to pay the bonus
under compulsion, it matters not to
him whether the trust or it's employees
get it. Meanwhile, mills are silent and
Workmen idle