Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-03-12

supposed that prices would 50 much
higher than formerly. 70 the surprise
Of all prices were marked up to 90
cents about the middle Of April. and
a month later to % cents.
Judging by these prices, 1894 mist
have been a. great year for potato
bugs, cotton worms and protected
paris green makers. The trade, how
ever, understood that the last increase
of prices was made to reward jobbers
who bought large supplies from the
trust and to punish those who had
not done SO. It was too late in the
season for other chemical nanufactur-
ers to adapt their plants to make
paris green and, besides, it would have
been difficult to to place the article
quickly on the market-nearly al the
dealers being pledged to sell only The
trusts product. These reasons aid
the duty of 25 per cent prevented the
large importations which would have
otherwise have proved profitable. In
fact, but for the duty importers would
carry a reasonable supply of imported
paris green in order to benefit by sud-
den great demands and high prices.
The exposure of the methods OF
this trust in June, 1894, when the Will
son bill was being discussed in the
senate, caused the duty on paris green
to be reduced from Is to 1914 per cent.
In 1879 Dingley yielded to the behests
of the manufacturers only to the eA-
tent of raising the duty Of Is per coni.
This duty, however, serves the purpose
of the trust almost as we'll as did The
rs per cent duty, for it compels ilr-
porters to sell at a loss every year
when prices are not raised by tie
trust.
In 1894 the trust dissolved In the
fall, and prices were greatly reduced.
In the spring and summer of 1895
prices were again raised from l7h
to 20 cents. In 1896 the trust thought
it prudent not to re-combine, and
prices varied, mainly from II to 1lh
cents per pounud. In 1897 the Ding
ley bill was pending during the po-
tato bug season, and it was not COZ
sidered advisable by the manufactUr
ers to repeat the mistake Of 1884.
Hence prices ruled very low. In the
the drug jobbers sold paris green at
LIZ cents, while in tho west, where,
as the Oil Paint & Drug Reporter, of
January "a, 1898, tells us, the jobbers
very largely operated under local
agreements The price throughout
the season was 1874 cents"
The Dingley rates having been set
tied, the manufacturers got together
again in 1898. On February %, 1898,
the Oil Paint & Drug Reporter said:
"The Paris green situation seems to
partake of much of the uncertainty
that characterizes the bug to whose 70
racious appetite the delectable poison
so successfully appeals. Nobody
knows when this pest may be expected
by the farmer, and nobody knows
what it will cost this year to do him
up. After the usual annual an
nouncement that owing to dissen-
sions among competitors no combina-
ton of manufacturers was possible. the
makers of green got together fort
night ago and entered into selling
agreement, the only missing feature
of the compact, so far as the public
is advised, being the price. Up to
date, no prices has been named, al
though orders are being booked for
delivery later on. Just what that will
be is not very clearly foeshadowed,
but it is likely to be above the figures
of last year.
The trust marked prices up from
liz to u cents on May 2, to 14Jh to
1S cents by May 9, and to 141s to Il
cents by May %. On May 80 the Oil
Faint and Drug Reporter said:
Not much business is reported. as
the conventions agent is not inclined
to sell freely for forward delivery at
current prices, which range from 17h
to 211s cents, according to style of
packing. Foreign makes no not cut
any ice in this market, and may be
quoted as nominal at 1914 cents for
kegs"
Regarding the situation in 1899 the
Oil Paint & Drug Reporter of January
1G said:
Chief makers are not inclined to
sell freely at 9 to 10 cents. The gen.
eral Impression is that when the de-
mand comes in spring all differences
Will be patched up, and prices will be
raised
by March prices had been marked