Arizona republican., 1901-09-22
THE HAT COMBINATION
Larger Manufacturers Claim
 to Know Nothing of it
It Would Be Unsuccessful Since In dividuality of Hats Would Be Destroyed and All Would Be Alike.

New York, Sept. 21.-It has been re- ported from time to time that represen- tatives of proposed hat combine were at work in this city, and that the es- tablishment of large manufacturers would be begun in Newark and Orange. N. J. It was also said that several in- terests in Danbury. Conn, would be absorbed.
 Manufacturers of headgear generally agree that such combination would be quite the reverse of a huge success. The very fact that hat possesses. q certain individuality of the maker Is one of the strongest arguments brought forward by the opponents of such a combination Form an association of this character said one well-known manufacturer today. and you will at once kill that degree of skilled labor and reduce the standard. until all hats would not only look alike but be alike.
 WORKS OF ART."
 The hats that sell best are thos= which are striking in their styles and individuality and are more than pro ducts of machinery: they are works of art. The tastes of the consumer are regulated by the fashions, and ii it were possible to amalgamate the ar tistic tastes of the hat wearing public then a combine will be possible, and not before"
 It was reported that an important meeting of hat manufacturers and job bers had been held at the Waldorf Astoria on a recent occasion to settle the question of whether manu- facturer can sell to the retail trade and continue his business relations with ths jobbers.
 MEETING IS DENIED. Careful investigation today failed to reveal any information of sucn joint meeting. The largest hat manufac- turers of this country. Stetson. Roe lofs, Knox and Dunlap. commonly known as the Big Four professed ut ter ignorance of any effort towards a combination of the matters interests. and representatives of each concern denied emphatically that the firms mentioned were in way concerned in such arrangement
 Robert A. Euwer. the local manager for Henry Fl. Roelofs & company, said. |. ''If such combination is to be effected l am sure that I would be informed of any meeting, and I know that the Roe lofs company would not be a party to any arrangement such as is suggested without in some way consulting with the other firms comprising the Big Four
 WILL SELL AS WE PLEASE" The resident manager of the John B. Stetson company plainly said: This company has always sold to the retail trade and to the jobbers and made no attempt to hide the fact. The Stet- son company is one of the pioneers in 1 this business and we will sell as We please and to whom we please, and DO combination can ever force us to change our policy. We have heard the rumors of hat combine, but you may 1 deny that we will ever become a party ! to it. If such an organization is really
 in process of formation. it has been promulgated by some of the smaller and unimpoitant concerns who hay. no sincere intentions of promoting a con-
 bination. but are using the report as a | card to advertise their own goods. Officials of Dunlap & company and | Edward NJ. Knox were seen and they ! likewise denied that there was any
 truth :n the rumor of such a combine. Neither had they attended any meeting at the Waldorf-Astoria to discuss the 1 interests between the jobbers and the i retail trade.