The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1900-01-23

Il
the increase in prices being nearly all
| profit, because the trust owns it's own
mines and furnaces and the actual cost
of making iron, steel and wire is not
much greater than when prices were
less than half present prices While 1t
is unlikely that the present excessive
| profits will continue for many months it
is difficult to see how the profits from
July, 1899, to July, 1900, can fall be-
low SIS, 900 900.
TRUST THEORIES.
1t may be noted that when this trust
was first formed we heard great deal
from the trust theorists about the
| economic advantages and savings of
great combination. Thus Mr.. Garrit
II. TonBrock, of st. Louis, as counsel
for the company, announced that "the
| only effect upon the market that 1 can
| see, will be a possible slight lowering
Of prices, because of this economy and
also a steadiness of prices for the
future" There are still num-
erous pro-trust theorists pratt
ing about the blessings of trusts as If
nearly all of the trusts had not, in
practice, actually demonstrated that
they are, under present conditions, all
around curses. The blessings, so far,
are enjoyed only by those who got into
the trusts on the ground floor"
If the wire trust lowers prices 1t will
do so only because of the removal or
threatened removal of tariff duties or
because prices are too high to yield
maximum profits. The Iron Age of
November 80, 1890. contains six
columns of interviews with hardware
men in 25 states on "the effect of high
prices on the demand for goods" Many
dealers say that they expect to sell
20 or 30 per cent less goods in 1900 be-
cause of advanced prices. Many farmers
are refusing to build fences with wire
at high prices.
VERY Low EXPORT PRICES.
!, 1t will make these farmers feel hap
py to know that this same trust which
charges them at basis" of 1888 per
keg for nails (about $3.50 at retaiD ex-
ports these nails and sells them to
, Europeans at $214, basis" per keg and
, that 1t exported about 10000, 900 pounds
, in 1899 to all parts of the earth. The
|; exports for the fiscal years 1898 to 1899,
of wire and wire nails were as follows:
Exports are increasing rapidly and
were 80 per cent greater than ever be-
fore during the last six months of 1899.
The total exports of wire for the first
, eleven months of 1899 were 241, ,922 967.
, pounds; Of wire nails 62996, 4O1 pounds
These tremendous exports and the
) prices at which they are made indicate
that there is no need of protection and
subsidies at home-eXcept for the
| officers of the trust who are trying
; to capture 80 per cent of the world $
trade.
= VIII the farmers who are building
l rail fences because barb wire is toe
J expensive feel like voting to continue a
l tariff system which compels them tc
t pay SO per cent more for fencing wire
= than foreigners have to pay for the
, same wire? Large quantities Of bari
wire were exported from New York in
I December, 1899, at 1920 per hundred
although the home price was raised
= at the end Of the month from $2SS tc
Sab
= CANADIANS NOT MOST FAVORED
FOREIGNERS.
r Apparently all foreigners are not
!. treated alike. To be most favored ant
0 to reap the full blessings of protection
r you must not only be a foreigner bur
\ you must reside at least 5000 mile.
away from the land of Mckinley ant
n Dingley. Thus our neighbors. th,
= Canadians, must pay for the privilege
e of living so near us. However. the trus
n treats them better than it treat!
8 Americans. On December 2, 1899. Can
2 adian hardware, Montreal publication
said: Retail dealers in the United
States pay 1910, f. o. b. Cleveland, 70,
s car lots for barbed wire and $3.50 70,
= less than car lots while the figure,
e quoted to the retail trade in Canada /.
SS.25, f. o. b. Cleveland, for car lots, anC
, 1885 for les quantities.
plain wire is quoted to the Cana
dian dealer at $11 per ton lower than t.
the home dealer.
WAGES AND LABOR.
1t somehow happens that every tim,
this trust raises wages in one of it,
departments the increase is heralded AZ
one OF the beneficent effects of grea
combinations. Recently many pom
derous articles in great Republican
papers have been based upon the as
sumed fact that the 900 employees O
/ this trust are getting 40 per cent highe
: wages than before the trust was form
ed. Such misleading statements un
' doubtedly have common source.
The fact appears to be that the trus
did on March 1, 1899, raise the wages
OF its employees who were getting les
tnan $2.5O per day from to 10 per cent
In June, 1899, few of the steel ant
wire workers probably shared in th
| general 20 per cent advance obtained
by the amalgamated association O
Iron, Steel and Tin Workers. On Janu
airy l, 1900, the trust advanced wages o
tonnage workers, workers by the hour
and day laborers 719 per cent. AS usua
II was announced in the papers tha
this advance was unsolicited and un
expected" Possibly! But the Iron Ag
Of Jan. 4, 1900, contains a telegram from
Pittsburg which says that "the Nation
al association of Rod and Mill Worker
has presented scale to the American
Steel &c Wire company calling for al
increase in present rates of from 3 t,
- 2l12 per cent. The men have asked 70
the restoration of wages in force prio
. to 1898 and uniform scale The com
- pany are given until January Is to an