The representative., 1901-06-06
STEEL TRUST DEsOLATt0n

aa.y Cities aaa 1evas nave RE-
eeived Notice OF Their Destruction
-wailins WIN sson Be Heard.
The first terrible stroke Of the steel
rust has been announced. Many cit
les and towns will be deserted and the
property therein will become worthless
This destruction reaches from MassA-
chusetts to west of the great lakes.
The announcement of the abandonment
of scores of large plants was made In
Pittsburg the other day as follows:
1.-The United States Steel corporation
has adopted the policy Of centralizing
operations, Of abandoning its smaller
plants, those disadvantageously To-
Gated, and those that cannot be run
economically. The work heretofore
done at these plants, will be trans
ferred to those that can be operated
to the advantage of the company. OF
the details I can say nothing. I can
only say that to work out some Of the
details of this policy operating heads
of the concerns of the United States
Steel corporation have been In con-
ference in New York. Undoubtedly
the plan will revert with greatest ben
eft to the Pittsburg district as the most
favored of all which the United States
Steel corporation operates"
The above is the statement Of Joshua
Rhodes, of Pittsburg, retired. as chair
man Of the directors Of the National
Tube company, now q constituent of the
United States Steel corporation. in reply
TO an inquiry as to whether the new
Morgan combine had adopted such a
policy.
Adoption of this policy OF centraliz-
Ing operations will mean to the Pitts
burg district, II carried into effect, with
put delay, the bringing here within a
rear of about $4,000 mill men from
plants of the company that will be aban-
loned.
The American Bridge company has
lad plans drawn for a new s., ,OOO, 900
plant to be erected in the Pittsburg
district The American Bridge COM
pany has its plants scattered through
the east. at points where they are at
q disadvantage to operate and some are
considered for abandonment.
The recent announcement that the
American Sheet Steel company had
given up it's plans to operate the new
and costly plant at Chester, w. Va,
was reflection of the new policy OF
The new Morgan combine. The equip
ment Of this plant will be taken to
Vandergrift, where the most modern
plant of the company, that of the Apollo
Iron Steel company, is operated
Since the sheet company formed it has
abandoned number of its plants Of
lesser Importance and nearly all Of the
apparatus Of these was sent to Van
dergrift. Other plants of the company,
located at Cambridge. East Liverpool
Coshocton, Denison, Creston, Niles, Can
ton, Canal Dover and PiQua, O.. and
Carnegie and Hyde Park, Pa, are among
those which are being considered as best
to abandon and their equipment to be
centered in large plant at Wander
grift.
For the American Steel & Wire COM
pany, the United States Steel corpora
ton is expected to carry out the plan
of the wire comapny to centralize all
operations possible at Neville Island,
where $4,000, 900 works are being built
This has already led to the abandonment
OF plants at Worcester, Mass, and is
expected to be followed with works
at Cincinnati. the Portage works at
Newburg, N. Y, and the works of
Everett, Wash
OF the American Tin Plate works,
those at Agnew and Johnstown, Pa.
and Canal Dover, o. are expected to
remain much as they are. OF the Ma
tional Tube plants, among these con-
sidered for abandonment is the Penn
sylvania Tube Works, which although
one of the most important companies
is not economical in operation.
The citizens Of many Of these towns
have donated heavily to secure the
plants in land and cash.. Now with
out word not only all that they have
given, but the value Of all the prop.
erty they have left will be wiped out
OF existence. In scores of places where
there has been plenty and prosperity
there will be nothing but poverty and
starvation. This is the first work of
the big trust. More like It will fol-
low. On with the dance.