Free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1888-1908, 1900-10-20

One OF the main reasons why men
struggle SO hard to obtain a monop-
oily is that it enables them to charge
more than the worth Of the goods or
services they supply.
In the Bramkamp wire nail case the
attorney for the trrist admitted that
the combine had raised the price
from 80 cents to $3.50 a key, whole
sale, securing thereby a monopoly
profit Of several million dollars. That
trust went to pieces, but recently an
other has been formed, and wire nails
have advanced over 40 per cent be-
yond the ordinary competitive price.
Coal Trust Extortfons.
The coal combine was investigated
by congress in 1893, and the report
declares % that in 1888 the extortions
of the coal monopoly averaged more
than 81 a ton, or $50, 000,0 900 for the
year; and (2) that from 1873 to 1886
$500, 900 more than a fair market
price was taken from the public by
this combination. It also appeared
that in 1892 the combine raised the
price SIPS to $1.35 ton on the kinds
used by housekeepers, though the
price of coal was already high and the
cost of mining diminishing every year.
The Linseed Oil Trust in 1887 put
the price up from SO to 50 cents a gal
ion, or nearly 100000 additional tax
on the yearly output.
In the same year the copper Syndi-
cate put up the price from 10 to II
TO con 000 nm
DION on the yearly output.
A congressional investigation in 1893
brought out the fact that on the
strength OF a rumor that the internal
revenue tax was to be increased by
congress the Whisky Trust raised its
prices % cents gallon, which would
amount to an additional profit of $12,-
100000 on its yearly output.
Jump In Sugar.
In 1883, just after the Sugar Trust
was formed, the average price OF raw
sugar was he same as in 1885, but
the average price of refined sugar adj
vanced 50 that the difference between
the price or raw sugar and the price
Of refined sugar was 76 per cent more
than in 1885 and about 20 per cent
more than in 1887, the year the trust
was formed. Recently sugar has made
advances amounting to a total of
cents on the pound. For dozen years
we have paid each year a good dea
more per pound for refining sugar than
we did in 1885 (although the cost OF
refining mas been constantly diminish
fing), and our sugar bill mas averaged
at least $4,000, coo and perhaps $50.
000,00o a year more because of the
trust.
Standard OIL Again.
The Standard Oil is another monop
oily that has kept prices form falling
as much as the diminished cost O
transportation and refining would have
caused them to fall in an open market
and at times it has lifted prices abSo
lutely as well as relatively, in spite
of the vast improvements in processes
of manufacture, great cheapening O.
transportation by the pipeline service
and the falling price of crude oil
From 1894 TO 1897. for example. tn,
price OF refined oil went up Il per cent
while the pr.ce OF crude oil declined
per cent. Oil rose at wholesale il
New York from 8 cents in November
1887. to 6 cents in December. 1899
and it has gene still higher in 1900.
One may charge the fair value o
the services he renders without a mon
opoiy. But monopoly gives powe
to charge more than that value, il
other words. monopoly confers the in
estimabIe privilege of demandin:
something for nothing.
The Telegraph Monopoly.
We pay twice as much for our tele
grams as government -ystems charge
the telephone monopoly charged tn
federal government SIS per phone 70
service the government is now sup
plying for Itself at a cost of SO pc
phone. and even IN our largest c.e
exchanges. where the monopol
charges 500 to $3.50. tie service coul
be rendered at a profit for uniform
e-large of $50 year.
The Bell monopoly, in Grand Rap
ids. Wis. charged $50 for house an
s4S for a business place. while a &C
operative telephone exchange is oper