The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-05

A DEFENSE OF tat SITS.
Mr. A. D. Juiliard, a large merchant
and manufacturer Of New York, has Civ
en- Textile America an interview in which
ne defends trade combinations. or trusts.
1t must be said, however, that Mr. JUL
| lands defense is not conclusive. He says
the talk about these combinations les
SEEMING the production 80 order to force
up the price lis nonsense" since "the
law of supply and demand makes this
impossible, no matter what the magni-
tude of the combination may be-" The
people, he asserts, win wear just as many
clothes, no matter whether the goods are
manufactured by individual mills or
combination Of mills. The demand for
goods cannot possibly be any less"
With competition eliminated, and the
production in the hands of trust, is it
not reasonable 70 suppose that the must"
demand for clothes, which cannot pos
sibly be any less" will be made to pay
the highest possible price for it's supply?
We have recently seen the proposition il
Illustrated in the case OF the printing paper
white paper which cannot be any less"
The publishers are obliged to have a
certain quantity on which to print their
publications If it were the purpose of
these combinations 20 cheaper produc-
tion in order that their customers might
have the benefit, or even u part of the
benefit of the cheapening, here would
have been a good opportunity for showing
it. But no sooner had the paper trust got
control Of the market than the price of its
production was put up. The must" de-
mand, that which could not be any less,
was at once squeezed for the profit of the
combination. And there is no reason 10
believe that the policy of the average
trust is greatly different from that of the
paper trust, namely, 10 get every dollar
possible out of consumers. Experience
has shown that where there is competl-
ton the trust will lower prices until the
competition is disposed of, and then if it
possibly can it viii increase prices. 1t
does not let the law of supply and demand
take it's natural course. but manipulates
supply so as to make demand stand and
deliver
Mr. Junliard does not believe that the
ordinary laboring man will be adversely
affected by the formation of trusts. on
the other hand, he looks for them TO be
benefited, because he says the trusts are
going to lower prices without lowering
wages He admits, however, that there
viii be a class of wage earners. a
| large and al present well-paid class by
the way, which win be hard hit. These
are the commercial travellers, statesmen,
| bookkeepers, clerks and various agents
Under the combinations their occupations
will be gone, How are they going to take
| care of themselves? Mr.. Juilliard dis
/ poses of them easily and quickly; they
are bright men, he says, and will be in
| demand elsewhere" They will take
care of themselves anywhere" he con-
| cludes. hence it is of no use for the
trusts to concern themselves about their
statesmen and other employees of the higher
| grades
| If there were any assurance that the
combinations would not restrict output
for the purpose of putting up prices, and
that they would reduce cost of produc-
ton in order that consumers might ger
their products cheaper, then the greater
part of the opposition to trusts would be
| disarmed. But, unfortunately, there is no
such assurance Mr.. Juiliard does not,
and cannot, give any. He merely ex-
| presses his personal views respecting
trusts; and it chances that he Is a MEM
Der of the recently organized wooden trust,
with a capital of $65 00O,OOO 1t Is not
| strange therefore, that he thinks very
kindly of trusts.