Evening star., 1898-08-06
c ON MERCIAL CORNERS
It is Not Every One Who Gan See Clear
Round.
Some of the Big Enterprises That
Have Been Undertaken in Various
Parts of the World.
From London Tit-Bits.

| From London Tit-Bits
| This is an age of colossal enterprises
engineered by brainy men, whose ambition
Is to obtain absolute control of commodi-
| ties of universal consumption, and thus
amass rapid fortunes. Half the CONNER
cial world seems to be engaged in attempt
ing to corner the other half Some make
huge profits while others fail for millions
A gigantic milk trust with a capital Of
| E, E2,4oo.o0o-furnished chiefly by British
| speculators-was recently projected ia New
| York city. The promoters promised lower
prices. But experts predicted that con-
| SumerS would be squeezed out of Fl 800 900
| per annum for the benefit of these mon
| archs of milk.
A British-American corporation has re-
| Gently obtained practical control of the
| fisheries of the great Canadian lakes
thanks to a trust with a capital of Il 800
o0o. The countless millions of fish dispurt-
ing lii the waters of these mighty lakes
can only do so by permission of these mo-
| roDo!ists.
An amusing corner was that promoted
st year in 'Whistlers' by tie
celebrated artist of that name A face
| tious journalist gave a financial bulletin of
these novel ''stocksr'-"N "Nocturnes BOOM
iEg; landscapes lower; figure studies rose -
lower all round"
| People accuse the masterful Yankees of
yearniug to own the EARTH" 1t has been
reserved for Canadians to engineer cor
Ter" in fresh air! This project was re-
| Gently elaborated by q syndicate to supply
the mines of West Kootenay with COM
pressed air from pipe lines radiating from
| big central compressor.
| The price Of typewriters is kept up by
means of a corner" This was recently In
danger Manufacturing charges having
been reduced by improved methods, certain
| hrms talked of reduction. The actual
| factory cost of certain makes prominently
before the public is said not to exceed e.
one machine is supposed to be made for
t. IS. Bet. hitherto, big prices have been
| maintained
A bill posters corner throughout the
| United Kingdom was recently projected
and generously advertised. But it failed
| TO materiaiiZe, probably to the regret of a
| certain big firm, who are said to have lost
| quite 100000 by the venture.
Those powerful monopolists the Broth-
| ers Rockefeller, who have ''cornere1'' ne
troleum in America, would certainly have
zone the same in Europe had not the
Rothscnilds entered into competition with
them. and thus saved us from the ravages
| cI dangerous, low-fash oil.
Theatrical Corners.
! Recently Mr.. Ernest Oswald created
quite corner in Mr.. Lewis Parker the
| Weil-known dramatist. That impresario,
hile holding the rights of most of Mr..
| Parkers existing plays, made him a
princely' offer for all his plays during a
term of years One well-known dramatic
| ''CDrnHrpl''
| tor the benefit of a certain leading morn
| ing journal. By a clever corner a syndi-
| cate OF American managers practically
| control the theatrical field throughout the
| United states. They have SO monopolized
| the principal artists and theaters OF that
vast country that a travelling troupe of
| star artists would find the greatest dif1-
| Guilty in succeeding without their intervAn-
| t1on and support These gentlemen are
| credited with a desire to perform the Same
| operation in England. Everybody has oh
| served the abnormal activity of American
| managers and artists in this country an
| activity that must soon affect the pros
! peGts OF our native artists and managers.
| with the more or less successful at
| .empts TO corner cycles, diamonds, sew
| ing cottons, telephones, ETC., everybody is
| 1amlllar. There is another '.cornering' op-
| Grafton from which We all suffer from time
| TO time This is engineered by certain fad
oists, VINO make a point of monopolizipc
| the corner seats of railway carriages Gus
| tom entities these fortunate persons 20 the
| privilege of controlling the windows They
| hight for this right with feyerish energy
| exercising il in winter for the purpose of
| causing fellow-travelers to catch violent
eoids from open windows, and in summer
| Tor stillhg them by keeping the windows
Theoretically closed.
| The Champion Cornerer.
The French government is the champion
| oihclai monopolist of the world. 1t has
| cornered almost everything-betting
| pawnbroking, undertaking. cremating, om-
hibus riding, teiegraphy, telephony the to-
| bscco and match industries and stockbrok-
| ing. This clever government ordains priests
| ana pastors, appoints ballet girls, trains up
| actors and singers, teaches the young idea
| how to shoot, guides the sculptor's chisel
ana controls the painters brush. Twang-
| ers OF the Tyre look to mamma" govern
| ment FOR inspiration and subsidies It's
| most interesting monopoly is baby farm
| The Eastern Telegraph Company and its
| allies nave practically tcornered' subma-
| rlne cable communication between London
| and New Zealand and London and the
| cape ihey maintain a splendid service
ana employ aa army. of Britishers and a
| Meet OF ships to work and repair these
nsrves OF tic nations radiating in all direc-
| tions. Picking up cables is a British mo-
| nopoly. NO foreigners can compete with
| them IN this work, which requires bulldog
puck and patience, much as scienti1c
skill and engineering experience
| pr John render, the principal promoter
VI Inns admirable network of cables was
| also instrumental in laying the first Attain
| nc cable. for which he endeayored to Oh
| tain monopoly. But he died without hav
| Ing achieved his object. He certainly did
| cohtllve to attract three opposition comma
| mes within his ring by diplomatic financial
| or warlike methods. But the fourth com
pany was financed by two American mill
| ionaires, who declined to deal" TINS o,a
| of the few things that cannot he "cornered'.
is the vast bed of the Atlantic ocean.
Even as Far as Africa.
Another powerful corner is tfiat main
| talned by the Castle and Union steamship
| lines running to South Africa By an inye-
| NOUS system of rebates - which effectuaI-
iy attracts merchants and shippers to these
| TWO companies, they maintain the ring in
| tact But they give an admirable service.
| and are building up two fleets OF magnif-
| cent SHIPS. which would be of national i'm
| portance in case of war in those regions
| Always possibility. One firm boldly en-
| tered the lists to smash this ring. They in
| ausurated vigorous campaign in an inliu-
| entail south African Journal organized a
| gooo service at cheap rates and gracefully
| gllded into the ring on very favorable terms
An American syndicate has created a
| corner in biscuits-capital FIJI 900 600 Be-
! tween Salt Lake City on the west, Port
| land on the east, St. Paul on the north and
| New Orleans on the south, an area of sew
| eral thousand square miles, no person will
! De able TO sat biscuit without paying trib-
ute to this commercial octopus
Recently "ccrner" was created in a
| bIainy inventor. He is paid f500 year to
| do absolutely nothing. After inventing sew
| eral valuable machines. he surpassed him
! self by invendng one for bootmaking. This
l i'm To