The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-09-17
1T is OUT AFTER SCALPS
WHEN IT HAS GOTTEN THEM
PRICES WILL BE RAISED.
A SMOOTH GAME ON ANTI, TRU T PEOPLE
A Building on the Corner Enables it to Give
Many Addresses to Would be Pur-
chasers but all Mail Goes
to One Concern.
to0ne Concern

If you want anything IN the line of
school or church furniture, opera or Of
flee chairs, office or bank furnishings
hall seatings or dozen and enc other
things of like kind you had better do
your buying before January the LIST,
1900. After that the prices will 60
skyward-for a trust has at last got all
these lines hard and fast and has set
that date for putting on the screws.
Just now the trust is good, mighty
good. 1t is almost giving things away
for there are still two or three concerns
to be crushed. The trust is so good, in
deed, as experts in form me, that it re-
GENTLY sold the city of Raleigh bill of
desks at an actual loss; for less i'm fact
than it cost to make the desks ut the
factory. The trust was equally good to
Newborn and sold that city Il bill Of
goods for less than cost.
On July the 26th the News and Oh
server published the fact that the school
and church furniture factories had been
absorbed in Il trust. A representative
of the concern who was then in the
State bitterly denied that such was tho
case. But at the New York headquar-
tiers the statement is not only admitted,
but is asserted as something to be proud
of. Down here where the folks don't.
take kindly to trusts the companies are
still separate; i'm New York where the.
trusts are all powerful there is no at
tempt at concealment.
The devices employed by the trust are
ingenious, where it appears better not
to seem to be trust 1t is capitalized
at $10000,000, and has its headquarters
in the Constable building, corner of Fiftn
Avenue and East 18th street, New York
city This situation on a corner comes in
mi ghty handy when writing to folks who
don't know about New York. A half
dozen different addresses can be given
all in the same building Here are some.
of them, taken from letters, / have eNs
amined No. S14 Constable buildings;
100 Fifth Avenue, III Fifth Avenue,
) East 18th street, &C., adj in ONE buiid-s
ing and all addresses of the same CON
Germ.
From these offices came the CORE
spondence and circular matter of the
factories located at Muskegon. Mreh.l
Wabash, Ind, Rockfort. Ind, Blooms
burg, Pa, Grand Rapids. Michigan.
Piqla Ohio, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, ant
so ON. 1t is supposed that the plan Is
to deceive the public, hut it is a we!
known fact that all are under one man
agenent with the same officers aud
managers, and no one of the concerns
in the combination, it is alleged. thres
fill an order at any price until 1T has
passed through the hands of the New
York manager.
Not only has the trust absorbed all
the leading factories making thi, grade
of goods, but it has effectually scotched
competition by arranging with the iron
trust which controls the manufacture OF
the metal portions of desks, chairs and
nxtures not to sell such parts to any
concern save those in the combination.
The result is that some independent con-
Germs THAT tried to stand out against the
trust have recently been unable to fill
orders because they can not get the metal
parts.
Mr. Charles j. Parker, of this city.
who has been handling this class OF
goods Tor Some years, tells me that the
combination has been perfected ami mas
offered to furnish him all the goods
he wants if he Will contract to handle
their goods exclusively. On the Other
hand Mr.. v e. Orr, of Atlanta, who
was in the city day or two ago. and
who has been handling supplies of this
sort for ID years can not get the goods
anywhere having incurred the enmity
of the trust by fight ON it i'll Georgia.
He saws that to his knowledge the trust
has been selling furniture in this STATE
below cost
Of course this sort of thing viii not
last longthe trust managers say only
three months, by which time they will
have the field, including the churches
and schools that want furniture.