The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1901-02-27
STEEL TRUST HITS
Rumor That It Hampers
New York Switch and
Crossing Company.
CAN'T BUY RAILS HERE
Hopoken Concern Refused to
Sell and Now Has to Get
Materials in Germany

rumor has been going the rounds the
last two or three days that the New York
Switch and Crossing Company, of Fif-
teenth and Madison streets, Hoboken, had
been affected by the new steel trust. The
story was that the syndicate had offered
to purchase the plant, that the offer had
been rejected, and since then it had been
impossible for the company to secure raw
material. 1t was said that the works
would partially shut down.
A News" reporter saw President W. C.
Wood at the office of the company. He
gave some interesting information when
asked for confirmation of the rumor.
We had, said he, IAN offer to dispose
of our plant and, in fact were on the
point of vacating the works when the
people altered their original proposition.
Our refusal to entertain their second offer
put an end to the deal But that was be-
fore the organization of the present steel
trust-a year ago, in fact. And as far as
| know, it was not an offer that any of
the prime movers in the present trust was
interested in
Yes, plenty of them, but not Ameri-
can stock. We have been importing our
rails from Germany for some time back.
The Federal Steel Company, which has
been absorbed by the new trust former
ly controlled the sale of American rails,
and it refused to sell us any. So it was
a case of either getting rails from some
1t is not generally known, | may say
that plant as big as ours can success
fully compete with the trust by using
imported rails, but it's a fact, neverthe-
less. We have been using German rails
for about year and we can look ahead
and see our way so clearly defined that
we are not afraid of the formation of
any steel trust or the amalgamaton of
all OF them. German rails are the most
durable manufactured, but they have not
same article of American manufacture"
Z Is your full force of workmen en-
ployed new?"
NO. it is not. But that is because this
is the duh season in our line. Other
wise we never were enjoying a more
prosperous career"
The trade prefers doing business with
US to doing it with the trusts, and we ex-
pect that the formation of the present one
will, if any, increase our business this
year.
Whom do you think the big trust will
most injure?"
wen, the middlemen. They, I know.
are already feeling its presence keenly.
1t was bad enough before the present
amalgamation was effected, with the Fed
eral steel people decreeing so much for
them, but with the billion-dollar trust in
existence it looks as if they would ulti-
mately be forced to the WALL
What are the probabilities for the diff
ferent Hudson County plants being af-
fected by the new trust?''
AS far as l am able to see none of
them viii be affected to any considerable
extent unless the trust proposes to
branch out into other lines then it thas
thus far made known If it should go in
for structural iron work or identify itself
with the railroads with a view to control
ing the transportation of ore or other
raw materials it would be time for the
small companies to fail. It's the only
thing we should fear.