Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-11-23
WANTS GERMAN PLAN HERE.
Witness says IL Our Industries Were Eos
tired the Same Wo Would Control the
World n
go, tn, frs vky

In giving his testimony before the indus
trial commission John w. Gates
managing director of the Aru rican Steel
and Wire company. gave an interesting
account Of his efforts to effect a consolidJ-
ton Of all the wire producing countries,
including all the European nations. He
said he had visited Great i3ri ain. France,
Germany, Belgium and other countries for
this purpose.
Germany he found to be the principal
competitor, England's work in that re-
sroct not being sufficient to deserve seci-
ous consideration. In Germany the one
course Of fear in manufacturing centres
was competition with the United States,
and bounties and subsidies were given
OH every hand to hold up the manufacture
ing interests of that coultry.
The Germ an manufacturers first pGo-
posed tina. II case Of an international
consolidation the United STATES should lie
content with p per cent Of the product
This he had declined, AMI tney mad after
ward increased the allowance to 80 per
cont. Ito had run away from Berlin to
avoid accepting tais allowance. He lad
represented the possibility Of increasing
Prices to TIE extent of about so per ton
in case of the proposed amalgluhton, but
found that tho Germans mad in view AN
increase Of about $50 per ton.
Mr.. Gates commended in high terms tho
German method of encoura sinS the pro-
!
that if the United States would adopt the
same plan ne would be doing 70 per cent
of the iron and steel business of the
world.
lie advocated subsidies to steamship
lines and national corporations of 500 $50
in capitalization and over lie would have
the corpora tlons pay literally for SUCH
charters in the beginning AMI then have
them pay large sums annually for the
continuance of tn" franchise, increasing
the amount as the capitalization in"rejs-
ed until the annual fee should ne no less
than million dollars foe company cap
itllized at a hundred millions. He adNo-
Gated government. supervision of all such
corporations. He said the protective tar
.iff had had much to do with building UP
the hon and steel industry and that the
continuance of the policy was necessary
to future prosperity OF the industry.
His company employs 5000 men and
wages had been increased on an average
of 40 per cent. The company aid not rec
CYniZe the trades unions, dealing with it's
men as individuals and would not recog-
nize the unions as such.
Generally speaking, the advance in wire
products had been only prorort1nA'e 20
the increase of the prices of raw material
and of wages. lie considered that al
these advances had beeu luc to demand
and supply and not 10 the comhinot"1
Indeed, he asserted that the American
company did not seek a monopoly OF the
production of uupltented articles, or seek
to control the selling prices of its PATRONS
on tho contrary, the disposition was 10
ieTcourAgc other ORGANIZATIONS. II WAS not
true that the trusts controlled the Noh
and steel business of the country, As
La matter of fact they only controlled
about 40 per cent
lie said that his company was EXPORTING
leo ions of wire a day supplying Enfi'r no.
for instance. with co per cent. of The VINE
products purchased there. He admilto 4
Ithat the goods were sold at lower rates
larcoad than at home, but for the present
this was ne essay to hold outside trade