The evening times., 1900-10-13
TRUSTS AND CONSUMERS
How Retail Prices Are Affected by
the RObber Combines.
All Competition Crushed Out by the
Place, and Then the Small Deal
ers Compelled to Buy and Sell
at Arbitrarily Fixed Figures.

| interviewed on the subject of the trusts
| and the war tax, and much inside infor-
| nation has been gained as to methods Of
trust restraint upon competitive COM
merce, and the effect of its war tax upon
consumers.
With reference to trusts the Standard
! Oil Trust is the largest, most powerful,
! and most unscrupulous. It's methods OF
| restraining competition in trade are va
rious and far-reaching. II has practical
| control of shipping rates through secret
/ greements as to rebates with the Iaii-
/ roads. whereby a rebate is given on every
shipment, which makes it impossible for
the small producer and refner to market
his goods. 1t resorts to every means to
drive small refiners out of business. 1t
has been known to seek lnjunctions
against the use of certain transportation
| facilities, and falling in the attempt, it
! has solicited signatures to a petition de-
| clariIg the refinery public nuisance 1t
! has raised the prices of oil 21s cents per
gallon {$1.50 per barreD within the last
/ year. It's defence is like that put for
ward by the Sugar Trust. that oil is so
! cheap that no one need be{depriyed of its
! use. The argument of the people is that
/ it. with oil selling at the present price.
/ and even lower, Mr.. Rockefeller has been
! able to amass a fortune of five hundred
millions, the trust might have sold oil at
! a much lower price and still have earned
vast sums of money. In other words, no
/ matter how low the price is, it might be
/ greatly less with profits past all reason
/ able expectations, TO the trust!
! Second in strength is the Sugar Trust.
( In answer to the question Of whether su-
t gar was selling today at higher price
/ than it did ten years ago, large retail
/ merchant said that it was sold now for
! less. although the price has been raised
/ recently and is now 21a cents pound
higher than it was two years ago. The
| retailer proceeded:
''The Sugar Trust has many methods
| of coercion. For instance, merchant
| whose business will average say SZOOoOo
/ a year cannot buy direct from the trust,
| but must purchase from the jobbers in
| his section. The trust first began selling
| to merchants OF the above class nothing
| less than ten barrel lots. This was
! raised to twenty-five barrels, then to hfty
and now one hundred barrels. linen came
| the notice that purchases would have 10
! be made from the jobber- II a merchant
| asks for quotation from a jobber IN an
! other city on one hundred barrel lot,
/ he is informed he must pay whatever
| price is asked by his own jobber. and
! must pay the freight on the Shipment
! Thus he is forced to deal with one of GER
/ tain jobbers and buy at a price liked by
| the trust If it is found that two mer-
! chants are dividing lot, both are noti-
| fed that their orders Will not be filed
! in the future. Much hardship is thus
/ forced on retailers who must have sugar,
| but many of whom have not facilities for
| storing it in such quantities
The trust absolutely and arbitrarily
! controls the price of its product, and the
! iobber is compelled 10 sell for that price
! or be refused dealing with the trust.
When asked about beet-sugar the re-
/ taller said: u do not handle 1t at all but
| the beet-sugar industry is commonly sup
/ nosed to be controlled entirely by the Su-
gar Trust - II has been pretty we'll shown
/ bv testimony before Congressional COM
mittee and Commissions that the suppesi-
/ ton is well based. incidentally, the mer-
| chant said that Arbuckle was supposed to
| be in the trust or soon would be-
The Cracker Trust is very strong and
| is known by the name of the National
Biscuit Company It's method OF freezing
/ out competition is very similar to those
! of the other trusts. In one case Bsanu-
! facturer of crackers and cakes IN eonsid-
| erable Quantities declared his purpose of
| holding out against the trust. The en-
| pIoyes in his factory numbered, perhaps.
|
| wfthstood the efforts of the trust to ruin
| his business Finally however. he was
| forced by repeated cuts in the price OF
| crackers and small cakes, to sell out to
! the trust. By this nearly 100 men were
| thrown out of employment The product
! of the Trust factories has risen in price
! from time to time, and although the quail
/ ity OF the goods put out by it has proven
| in many cases to be very much Inferior
do nv TNT~5C at
! sell in the market at higher prices.
| The Baking Powder Trust is, after the
| Sugar Trust. perhaps the most remorseiess
| in it's methods. Denials are constant that
! there is a Baking Powder Trust, but the
facts show differently. 1t is supposed that
| Price of Chicago, and the Royal Company
control the baking powder industry. The
Royal Company employs, instead of ordi-
| nary statesmen men who might be called
| travelling inspectors. They visit the stores
of merchants and either by questioning or
| by> general observation see what brands
| are handled by them. II 1t is found that
| other brands than that of the Royal Com
| pany are sold, every effort is made to pre-
| vent their handling them in the future
| There are other and better brands than
| the ROYAL but demand that is general
and widespread Is created by the enormous
| expenditure for advertising purposes. The
| other brands sell for from 10 cents to 10
cents per pound cheaper tnan the Royal
Some of these brands are much better
| than the Royal, but the call for them is
| very much less The Royal Company. when
| it finds a retailer selling the Royal brand
| for less than 45 cents a pound, refuses to
sell him another pound.
Merchants are furnished a written agree
ment, which they are compelled to sign.
stating that they will not sell Royal bak-
ing powder for less than IS cents a pound
The powder costs the trust from 10 cents
to IS cents a pound to make.
The Flour Trust backed and controlled
as it is by the Grain and Elevator Trust,
has raised the price of -four % cents a
| barrel in the last week Still further adj
varces in -four may be expected within the
next few days
There is the Tack Trust, which abso-
| lutely controls the price Of all tacks and
nails. At place in New England there
| is a mill for the manufacture of tacks, and
since the trust acquired control of it the
| mill has been shut down and not ton of
its product has been sold. The shutdown
/ threw $50 men out of work.
| There is a Bucket Trust, Broom Trust
! Starch Trust. and Feather-Duster Trust.
Every washerwoman has to pay more for
| her starch and her washboards cost her
/ more because of the Woodenware Trust.
prTEEATn,S U1TTNE TTCsT