The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-10-23
THE BOXMAKERS
HAVE MADE A
COMB|NAT ton
Prices Will Be Raised
in Two Months.
SPRUCE AND PINE GOODS
HOW THE TRADE HAD BEEN AP-
PoRTIoNED BY THE POOL.
Figures Fixed for Certain Places.
Rival Factories in Oregon
Had to Be Taken
Into Camp.
SPRUCE AND PINE GOODS
HOW THE TRADE HAD BEEN AP-
PORTIONED BY THE POOL.

The newest thing in lines monopolistic
is box combine, and by the first OF the
| coming year its influence will be felt the
length and breadth of California The
prices of all kinds of wooden boxes will
be raised soon after December l.
Negotiations to this end have been
pending for some time past and now all OF
the preliminary arrangements have been
made by the many manufacturers OF
boxes So far the movement has been
kept secret, and it is safe to say that its
publicity will cause no little alarm among
those who are obliged to use wooden
boxes in order to handle different manu-
featured products and fruit.
The cut-throat policy OF northern box
manufacturers is what led to the form
ing of the combine, and the recent his
tory of this trade is of more than passing
interest, especially to those who come d.
rectly or indirectly with the boXmakers.
In the first place the trade is divided,
part making boxes of pine lumber and
part Of spruce. The former are many and
are scattered all over the State. All of
these companies were combined in what
| is known as the Pine Box Manufacturers
Agency, with an office in the Crocker
| building, over which G.. x. Vending pre-
sides as the manager. This is an old
organization and its members have hung
together well. While the pine box makers
get their material from the forests or
! California, the spruce box makers are
4 Wa TO rely sn upon Br us Gonmba
For some time past the local spruce box
trade has been killed by the persistent
competition of the boxmakerS located IN
Portland. The northern people wo ui1
ship the goods to this city in shocks
or bundles and the boxes would be assem-
bled here. The facilities for getting out
the material in the north We're SO FAVOR
able that there was no trouble for the
Portland folks to cut the prices Of the
manufactured articles down to such fig
ures that the makers of this city were al
most driven out of the business. Thls
makers, consisting of the American Box
Factory, the Pacific Box Factory, the
Grays Harbor Commercial Company,
Hobbs, Wall & Co, and the Clatsop Mill
done, the pool taking the name of the
Spruce Package Company. Mr.: Euler of
Hobbs of Hobbs, Wall q Co. were the
most active workers in effecting the new
combine. AS soon as the organization
was effected, three of its most faithful
and brightest managers and agents were
sent to the north to turn the tide OF
northern-made boxes that were flooding
of the Paolfic Box FACTORY. I. H: Pier;
Company and Mr.. Kinney of the Clatsop
Mill Company. Soon after the Multno-
NAH and the Portland box factories en-
tered into the. agreement; The Portland
people insisted upon good terms and got
them. These We're the conditions made,
and which stand to-day.
The Portland firms were not to send
their goods into San Francisco nor were
they to make or attempt to make prices
In this city. For this concession the
Spruce Package Company agreed to pur-
chase from the subsidized firms boxes in
shocks amounting to one million feet
each, or two million feet from both, per
year. With these two big Oregon fac
tories out of the San Francisco market,
the backbone of northern competition was
-g-t,t hrOlr no
makers were not the only rivals in bust
ness that the Spruce Package Somp{any
hhd t. dea wlh did not
very strongly for San Francisco trade, 1t
had the lions share of the country trade
With the exception of a few bay counties,
such as Napa, Sonoma. Santa Clara, etc,
it had full swing on the magnificent trade
of the orange growers in the south, the
grape and raisin producers of Fresno, the
orchardists of the north and the butter
makers along the coast In the bay coun-
ties named it was case OF hght for the
trade, with a preference Tor the pine
For a short time after the spruce box
makers effected their combination the
rival pools eyed each other with suspicion.
Each recognized that the other was a
power, and if they should compete for the
and mighty poor picking for either in
short time. Hence the combine. OF
course there were conditions in this con-
tract. one is that the pine box. people
shall keep out of San Francisco, giving TO
the spruce parties an enormous trade.
The apportionment of the trade of the
coast, while of much concern to the pub
lie is insignificant as compared 70 the
last clause Of the agreement, to which all
of the combine have subscribed, namely
the prices. So far, the. prices have not
been fixed but this much has been decfd-
ed-that the first of the new year there
will be a general raise all along the line,
and those who are obliged to use boxes
for any purpose whatever viii nave TO pay
what is asked. no matter how hard the
cinch may draw