Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1899-06-21
NOTES AND COMMENTS

EVIDENCE AGAINST THE TRUSTS.
Journal, June II, 1895:
Washington, June l7-During yes
terday afternoon the industrial COM
mission heard statement from P. E.
Dove of New York, president of the
Commercial Travellers National Lea
gus. Mn. bowe said the opinion of
the commercial men at large was that
the trusts were menace to the CON-
munity: He estimated the travelling
statesmen in the United States at $780,
600, saying that the census figures of
$4,000 was grossly incorrect. The
formation of trusts and combinations
was throwing large number Of these
men ont Of employment
1T giving specific Instances, he said:
1.-The National Enameling and
Stamping company, which depends for
its raw material upon the American
Tin Plate company, hos thrown a great
many out of employment, and those
retained have had their salaries re-
duced. The great tobacco combines
threw out about 5000 sa]esmen: the
Continental Tobacco company tele-
graphed the discharge of $50 in one
day; the baking powder trust has dis
pensed with all excepting half dozen
men. 1 know of two statesmen dis
charged by the trust who were former
ly in the employ Of the Cleveland Bak-
ing Powder company one receiving a
salary OF $4,000 year, the other
81, 500. Their routes, with those of
other discharged statesmen, are COW
cred ny one agent at Sl8 a week. The
bicycle trust will throw out 600 sales
men gradually and will cut down
agencies in every city: the chair trust
will affect Immediately more than 500
statesmen, by cutting them out of the
line.
"{}a4ee }m!}aa!n? writes me the Union Bag
and Paper et,ta'apy has thrown out Of
employment hundreds of statesmen.
The number of statesmen out of
work because of the United States
Rubber company are 300, the sales
men retained have been reduced to a
Salary averaging, so I am informed.
A,ayg s ye;aEr: The American Tin
Plate eotstaay c4t aff ab8ut ninety
out of every hundred sntesmed.
American Steel and Rod company, I
have been told, discharged 300 COM
mercial travellers in one day. In CIV
ing these estimates I am not consider
ing the Office force thrown out through
trusts. Sugar and coffee monopolies
have thrown out 1000 statesmen: av-
erage reduction in salary of those re-
tanned 81, 600 year. Twenty-Five per
cent only of the old force being re-
tanned in house position. The Stand
ard Oil company employs fewer sales
men than any other concern in the
mercantile world of one-half its capt.
tall
Mr.. Dove said that tbs trHst COM
binations had raised the prices of the
commodities they controlled from 5 to
100 per cent in almost every instance
except coffee and sugar. In these they
we're still fighting for control of the
field. He said his figures in this line
were absolutely correct, being from
reliable commercial acquaintance.
The examples he gave were:
Iron pipe, oyer 100 per cent: tinware
and enameled ware, about 81 pei GENT;
brass goods, 80 per cent: chair trust,
just formed, will advance prices &c
per cent; rubber overshoes, United
States Rubber company, advanced
prices II per cent on May l: American
Tin Plate company advanced prices
something like 80 per cent: newspaper,
to ] cent a pound, further advance
in prospect: book papers, 5 and 10 per
cent; an advance is expected in writ
ing paper; in common soap: % cents
to SO cents a box; flint glass bottles
will be Advanced 10 per cent or more:
jobbers and maaafactqrers Of clocks
have advanced the wholesale prices
on account of the advance of metals
60 per cent; all metal goods have been
advanced; brass pins, % per cent:
pipes and brushes, III per cent:
combs. u per cent; ribbons, 10 per
cent; school furniture has gone up as
we'll as paper bags and wrapping pa
per.
THE umbrella trust failed four
years ago but it advanced prices while
in existence: and after its breakup
the return to legitimate and healthy
prices caused loss to the retailer,
through the stock on hand.'
The witness concluded by saying
that before leaving New York he had
been warned by an acquaintance, a
lawyer, Indirectly connected with some
of the trusts, that he was doing a
dangerous thing in speaking before
the commission, as he was liable to
''be crushed like caterpillar
Notice.