The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-02-02
UNITED STATES
I'm barrels of $50 pounds each


The average net factory price for all
kinds of salt (about one-half of which
is common fine rabe salt) according
to the United States geological survey,
was 3615 cents per barrel in 1884, 80
cents in 1896: 1872 cents in 1885, 30.S
cents in 1897 and 35.3 cents in 1898. The
met" price means the price of the salt
alone; the cost of the barrel adds about
20 cents-though much coarse salt is
not sold in barrels.
The present price of factory filled"
dairy salt, at works in Michigan, is 55
cents as against 35 cents, or less, in 1896.
The Chicago price is now rs cents. The
New York city price of same grade
salt from western New York is $1.40 as
against 81 to $1.1O in 1896 and 1897.
Prices of salt in many middle and
western states are nearly double those
of 1896.
In 1897 many manufacturers asked to
have the Mckinley duty on salt replac-
ed. over 40 pages Of the Tariff Hear
ings" of 1897 are occupied by the state
ments of the manufacturers who
wanted duties and of the importers,
meat packers, etc, who wanted free
salt. The manufacturers, in 1894, stat
ed that the repeal of the duty would not
make salt cheaper, and in 1897 that the
replacement Of the Mckinley duty
would mot perceptibly" add to the cost
of salt. Yet for some indefinite and
unexplained reason they wanted the
duty and could not continue to live
much longer without it. They got the
duty and Immediately began to fix
prices and to form a trust which was
quite "perceptibly" advanced prices.
SALT ASSOCIATIONS AND TRUSTS.
The salt manufacturers have always
had an affinity for selling agencies and
price agreements. In 1866 the Michigan
manufacturers were uniting. The Michi-
gan Salt association began in 1876 1t
takes the product of all members and
sells it-thus avoiding much competi-
tion.. 1t has been renewed every five
years since 1876 and has generally con-
trolled about 80 per cent of Michigan's
product, which is one-third of our total
product. Since 1890 New York has pro-
duced more salt than Michigan and the
| two states now produce 20 per cent of
our product.
Other similar selling agencies were
in operation in New York and Ohio and
the others. AS, however, previous to
1898, but little was done to restrict pro-
duction, the permanent effect upon
prices was not great.
On March 90 1899, the National Salt
company, a New Jersey concern, was
Incorporated with $120OO,O 900 capital
$5, 100000 of which is z per cent preferred
stock 1t Immediately acquired the
| Il 70 Oh IN,
York for which its predecessor, The
National Salt company, of West
Virginia. was the distributing agent.
These plants We're said to manufacture
80 per cent of New York's product and
to have made net profits in 1898 of mot
less than $45O,000." BY October this
company had purchased many of the
best plants in Ohio. West Virginia,
Michigan and Kansas; had leased other
plants for five year periods and had
contracted for the output of other
plants. Thus in the Pomoroy Ohio
district, the trust appears to have
bought and closed one plant, closed
three other plants, which 1t had dead
rented" for five years, and contracted
for the output of three more plants.
In Michigan 1t has contracted for the
| pIOuuCI VI Tic iilSiilDGIS VI TIC
| Salt association.
| The prosecuting attorney for Meigs
county and the attorney general of Ohio
are proceeding against this trust to test
it's power to own and close furnaces
which have been running for thirty
years.
The United Salt company, an Ohio
Incorporation of 1890, appears to have
been the local trust which prepared
the way for the National company.
Both of these organizations are said
to be Differed by Standard Oil people
and TO be, practically, adjuncts of the
Standard Oil trust. The headquarters
at New York are in the building of the
Standard oil company and Standard
Oil attorneys In Ohio are defending the
National Salt company.
The National Salt company now has
! a natural monopoly In many of the