The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-17
THOUSANDS ARE OUT OF JOBS.
EMPLOYEES DISCHARGED AND SAL
ARIES cur BY TRUSTS.

AFeSluent Dove of the Commercial
Travellers National League Gives
the Commission Some Interesting
Facts-Prices of Everything hut
Sugar and COfee Have Been Rails
ed-POst Says Hayemeyer' Company
Has Done Good.
Washington, June l6-The Industrial
commission began its session by the ex-
animation of James Fl. Post of Brooklyn,
a representative of the Mullenhauer Su-
gar Company and the National Sugar
Company Of New York.
Mr.. Post said that as a general propo-
sition he thought the American Sugar
Refining Company had influenced condi-
lions for the good of the country
DO YOU think" asked Mr.. Ratchford.
that It would be a good thing for the
American company to be in entire con-
trol of the feld2'
NO said Mr.. Post II think the en-
tire control, of an article of universal
consumption in the hands of any one set
of men would be a very dangerous
power"
That is what the trust aims at" said
Mr.. Ratchford, according to Mr.. Have
meyers own statement"
''The business might get into the hands
of men not so broad-minded as Mr.. Have
| meyer" replied the witness.
Not Connected With Trust.
Mr.. Post denied that either the Mullen
hauer or the National companies were con-
nected in any way with the American Re-
filming Company.
In answer to an inquiry as TO the affida-
Wit plan of selling wholesale grocers, the
witness said that IL had recently been
abandoned. The result was in many places
grocers were cutting the price of sugar
and selling at a loss Mr.. Post said he was
sorry for The grocers, but it was a matter
of little interest to the refiner The refn-
ers allowed the. grocers a profit of three
sixteenths Of a cent a pound, which was
| as little as they could afford to handle Il
for.
Free sugar from Cuba, the witness said.
WOULD wipe out American raw sugar, both
! beet and cane, in the next five years.
During the afternoon the commission
Reard statement from T. E. Dove of
| New York. president of the Commercial
| travellers National League.
| Mr.. Dove said the opinion of the com
mefcial men at large was that the trusts
| We're a menace to the community. He es-
| tima,ed that travelling statesmen in the
| United States al $4,000 The formation of
trusts and combinations was throwing a
Iarge number OF these men out Of employ
| heht. In glv-ng specific Instances, he said
Trusts Throw Out Many Men.
The National Enameling and stamp
| ing Company which depends for its raw
| material upon the American Tin Plate
| Company, has thrown a great many out
| OF employment and those retained have
| had their salaries reduced. The great
| tobacco combines threw out about 1900
statesmen; the Continental Tobacco Com
| pany telegraphed the discharge of $50 In
| one day; the baking powder trust has
| dispensed with all excepting half dozen
| men. / know of two statesmen DISCHARGED
/ fnrDnprlx in
| employ of the Cleveland Baking Powder
| Company, one receiving salary of $1,000
| a year the other $500. Their routes
| with those of other discharged salesmen
| are covered by one agent at SIS a week
| The bicycle trust will throw out 600 sales
| men gradually, and will cut down the
| agencies in every city; the chair trust
win affect Immediately more than 500
statesmen by cutting them out of the
| line.
/ zone man writes me the Union Bag and
/ Paper Company has thrown out of en-
ployment hundreds Of statesmen.
! THE number of statesmen out of work
| because of the United States Rubber Com
pany is 800; the statesmen retained have
| been reduced 10 salary averaging, so L
| am informed, $l,200 year
The American Tin Plate Company cut
| off about 80 out of every 100 statesmen The
! American Steel and Rod Company l have
| been told, discharged 900 commercial trav-
| oleTs in one day. In giving these estimates
| l am not considering the office forces
thrown out through trusts Sugar and cof-
| men. and lhe average reduction in salary
| of those retained is $1,000 year. 25 per
| cent. onsy of the old force being retained
/ in house positions The Standard OH Com
| pany employs fewer salesmen than any
| other concern in the mercantile world, Of
| one-haf its capital"
They Have Raised Prices.
Mr. Dove said that the trust combina-
| tions had raised the price of commodities
/ they controlled from FIVE TO one hundred
| per cent in almost every instance, except
! coffee and sugar. The examples he gave
/ We're:
Iron pipe. over 100 per cent; tinware
! and ename.ed ware, about 80 per cent;
! brass goods, so per cent; chair trust just
! formed win advance prices 30 per cent;
| Company advanced prices IA per cent on
| May J.; American Tin Plate Company ad-
| vanced prices something like 30 per cent:
| newspaper, Il TO II cent a pound fur
ther advance in prospect; book paper
| per cent. and 10 per cent. advance is ex-
pected in writing paper; in Common soap,
! 25 cents to so cents a box; jobbers ana
manufacturers of clocks have advanced
4 the wholesale prices on account of the ad-
vance in metals. 50 per cent; all metal
! goods have been advanced; brass pins, 25
| per cent. pipes and brushes 12k per cent
! combs, TX per cent; ribbons, 10 per cent;
school furniture has gone up, as well as
| paper bags and wrapping paper"
| The witness concluded by saying that
| before leaving New York he had been
warned by an acquaintance a lawyer in
| directly 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 ike a caterpillar.
!