Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-01-24
THE GROWTH OF TRUSTS.
How These Unrestricted Monopolies
and Combines Spread Out.

How These Unrestricted Monopolies
and Combines Spread Out.
National Advertiser.
The recent action of the American
Newspaper Publishers Association
against the paper trust shows that the
newspapers have at last awakened to
the dangers that threaten them from
trusts. 1t is amazing that the news
papers should have been so Indifferent
to their own welfare as to allow trusts
to have been formed. In the first place,
it only shows the gail OF the promoters.
There is so much boaSting of the power
of the press and of its influence in con-
trolling legislation, yet the newspaper
business has been more injured by
trusts than any other industry in the
country. The aggregate capital of
trusts now in existence or in process
of formation reaches the unimaginable
sum of $2,702. 7GS, 900. OF this capital
SOL 900, 000 directly affects newspapers
1t is distributed among such corpora
tons as the Flour Trust, with n capital
of $50,000.000: Continental Tobacco Co.,
$15.00O000: National Biscuit Co. $780,
100000; National Lead Co, 10000 900;
National Silverware Co.. s30.00O00O;
Union Typewriter Co, $4,000 900;
American Tobacco Co, $50, 500, o00 the
Whiskey Trust. SCI 900. 900; Starch
Trust. slo,0OOOOO; the United States
Rubber Co. $4,000. 900; and so on to the
end of the list, to say nothing of the
local trusts such as the telephone, ETC.
conservative estimate made by
cold-b looded statisticians places the
loss to newspapers of the country by
these unlawful combinations at $50 000,-
600 yearly.
On the widest grounds of public pol
icy newspapers should fight trusts
Huge aggregations of capital crushing
the wholesome competition of the
-trade-a Itl-reducing- inde-
pendent business men to the position of
mere clerks with no voice in the forma-
ton of policies, cannot fail to work the
greatest public injury. BY corrupting
legislatures the trusts exercise a dcS-
potism more reckless and irresponsible
than Neros
WIRE AND STEEL TRUST.
With capital stock of 500. 600 600. the
various steel and wire interests of the
United States are to be consolidated
into new corporation to be known as
the American Steel and Wire Company
or New Jersey. The new concern will
control all of the steel and wire plants
or the country. The deal has been un-
der way several months, mainly un-
der the direction of John w. Gates
formerly president of the Illinois Steel
Co, Chicago. The company will en-
brace twenty-siX plants, distributed
throughout the East and the middle
West.
A TOBACCO COMBINE.
Philadelphia wholesale tobacco deal
ers have taken steps to organize a. COM
pany to handle the output of the Amer
lean. Continental and Lorillard compa-
MES in Philadelphia and parts of Penn
sylvania and New Jersey The COM
pany VIII have a capitalization of ST.
100000 common and $500, 900 preferred
stock. and will probably be known as
the Pennsylvania or Quaker City To-
bacco Co.
THE CRACKER TRUST.
Inc encouragement OF Ohio has be-
gun proceedings to drive the National
Biscuit Co. out of the State. Whole
sale grocers complain that the trust
by crushing competition, compeis them
10 pay eXorbtant rates for crackers.