The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1900-02-23
ENGLISH TRUSTS AND THE
AMERICAN VARIETY.

The Baltimore San printed on Mondsy
Il letter written by Mr.. Thomas Scanlon,
of Liverpool, England. which is Il com
plete answer to the assertion of projections
lists that frce-trade Ems gland has as many
trusts rs the United States, and therefore
our high tariff cannot be the mother of
trusts Mr. Scanlon admits that the tend
cncy in Great Britain, rs in the United
States, is toward commercial and indus
trial monopolies," but, except in few in
stances, these combinations have been I'M
able to control prices and exist simply be-
cause they can produce most economically
| and supply goods at the lowest prices.
"Britishers," he says, "believe in cheap
ness" They permit France and Germany
to dump their boUntyfed sugar in Eng
land at or cents pound, while it is
sold in France and Germany at s or 10
cents pound With this cheap sugar
| British manufacturers make jams and mar
| malades and export them to France, Ger
many and elsewhere at a fine profit AS
result of their willingness to accept
| cheap sugar the British sugar refining il
| dustry may suffer somewhat, for there is
no British sugar trust to assist in running
| the Government, as there is in the United
States
| In free trade England there are no trusts
to charge eXtortonate prices for food,
clothes, furniture and tools The Govern
ment does not provide a high tariff to en-
able entcrprising capitalists to make for
tunes at the expense of their fellow-clti-
zens. 1t is absolutely impossible,' says
Mr. Scanlon, for il clique Of capitalists TO
capture our industries and impovcrlsh our
people" One Of the most harmful trusts
! in England has grow out of the liberal
subsidy the Government pays to the PENN
sular and Oriental Steamship Company
This company, Mr.. Scanlon states, "recip-
rocates the kindness shown to it by charg-
ing much higher freight rates to English
shippers than to their German and Belgian
competitors" On several classes of goods
the discrimination amounts to 50 per cent.
An investigation has shown that the Pen
insular and Oriental Company is a member
of the "Shipping Conference or trust,
composed mainly of British steamship
owners, which maintains high freigh rates
from British ports, but carries cargo at
much lower rates from Continental and
American ports.
Although England grants subsidies to
shipping only to guarantee quick and fire.
quent mail passenger service to her col
onies, even this slight interference with
commerce has brought trouble upon her.
As Mr. Scanlon says: 1T matters not
whether protection be given in the form
of tariff, subsidies or bountics the effect is
to benefit the forei On consumer at the eX-
pense of the consumer living in the coun-
try comforting protection" The expert
encc of England with subsidies contains Il
valuable lesson for the American people.
A bill is pending in Congress to give to
certain ship owners a bounty estimated at
100000 900. Our proposed subsidies
would be far greater than any given by
Great Britain, and the trust which would
be the resu. of pending legislation would
| UC ldi uiolS Ut IMAM
any existing il England
Mr.. Scanlon finds that there are many
Joint stock industrial associations in Eng
land but very few industrial combinations
and these have made only feeble attempts
to dictate prices. Except in the bicycle,
salt and textile trades, combinations have
been unsuccessful in appreciably raising
prices. The price of coal it is stated, has
recently been advanced in England, and
Mr. Scanlon says, there is an uncomfort-
able suspicion that preconcerted action on
the part of colliery owners may have had
something to do with it He is confident
however, that if such a monopolistic com
bination should be formed no party in
England would tolerate it for Il week. In
the United States the case is altogether
different. We have anthrac't tie and bitumi
nous coal truss, and prices are fixed to
suit their wishes in respect to profits and
dividends, and without regard to the inter
ests or purchasing power of consumers
Bal iH0"c SrR
|