The San Francisco call., 1899-06-11
TRUST TO BUY
ALL BREWER|ES
Vast Scheme With Bill
lion Dollars Capital.
PLANS ARE BEING DISCUSSED
OPTION SECURED ON EASTERN
PROPERTIES.
The Matter Was Secretly Considered
and Given Impetus at the Con-
vention Recently Held at
Detroit.
OPTION SECURED ON EASTERN
PROPERTIES.
Special Dispatch to The Call.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, June 10.-The
| Sentinel tomorrow will say: The trust
mania has reached the brewers, and it is
said on the best authority that scheme
is on foot to form trust with $1,000 0JJ,-
0OO capital and buy up all the breWerieS in
the country. 1t is said that the scheme
received impetus at the national conVen-
ton of brewers at Detroit. when plans
were discussed secretly.
While the trust is only in the formative
stage, enough men of capital are behind
it, judging from reports, to warrant the
belief that the American beer drinker will
soon have no other alternative than TO
quench his thirst on the product OF u
trust.
Joseph C. schaf. president of the Ameri-
can Brewing Company of this city, who
returned to-day from Detroit, where he
attended the national meeting of brewers,
ADMITTED to-day that the subject OF Il
brewer trust was topic of private con-
sideration at the convention, at which G01
leading brewers were present. He said
| that he did not care to talk much about
ii, as the matter is in its infancy now.
lie mad calculated, he said, that some
thing more than a billion dollars would
be required, as there are 22O0 breweries IN
the country to be bought up. 1t is un-
derstood that an option has been placed
by the trust on Mr. Schaf's brewery, and
talk about that phase of it, he said. When
asked how many options had been secured
in indiana to date he said: "At a guess
should say eight or ten to date"
Mr.. Schaf declined to say who are be
hlhd the brewery trust, but replied in re-
sponse to that question, Eastern capital
lists are promoting the trust
Albert Lieber, manager of the brewery
syndicate of this city, which includes the
| three largest breweries here, tonight con-
hrmed the story of the formation of the
gigantic brewery trust. Mr. Lieber had
just returned from Detroit, and after
learning that the story was out said:
"A Plttsburg broker named Merkle. rep
resenting the American Mailing Company
| has just closed deal involving $92 900 900
whereby all the Pennsylvania breweries
were consolidated. This was one of the
first steps in the big scheme. Options are
now out on a number of Indiana brewer
les, and the same is true of other States
The principal factor in the big scheme is
Seymour Scott, wealthy broker of New
for some time
The scheme is a stupendous one and it
will require at least three years to per
feet. The American Mating Company
already has monopoly on all the malt
produced in this country. The distilleries
will all be bought up. and also all of the
200 breweries. | should say it will at least
4 require 81 900 100000 to do the work The
consumer will not lose. Beer will remain
at cents glass, but taxes and other
/ expenses will be decreased and better beer
will be placed on the market. At the ex-
piration of three years | look to see all
the malt dealers. distilleries and brewers
of the United States controlled by one
working head
Mr.. Lieber did not deny that there is
I an option out on the three big breweries
in this city controlled by his syndicate.