BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-10-22
SAEljUAN, OCTOBER D
A New Kind Of Trust.

Prof. John B. Clark of Columbia Uni
versity has been delivering lectures in
several Western cities on the subject OF
Trusts, and he has detected in the mass
new microbe which seems capable Of
large development. 1t consists of an
alliance between the Trust and the
labor union in particular trades, who
@2a @ uQa tQGsRsE E to sess hs s2nSHH5mfr
selves. This kind of microbe has only
jus. become visible, but an example of
it is found in the glass industry. "Glass-
blowers" says Professor Clark, are
scarce and for lack of them many glass
pots are idle. The public pays high
rate for its window-panes. The men
and their employers have still an issue
to settle with each other, for it has still
to be determined how much of the tax
which the public pays shall go to each
of them, but in collecting the tax their
interests are one, and the issue between
the industry as whole and the pur-
chasing public takes precedence of that
between masters and men within the
industry"
This throws new light on the vaunt-
ed efficacy of the tariff to raise the
wages OF the laburer. There has been Gre
ated in the home market monopoly in
the production of an indispensable article
avoMedly in order to benefit the wage
worker. Of course, somebody must
pay the piper. The consumers. who are
the whole people, must contribute to
that end but how is the wage worker
to get his share? The employer will
not pay more for labor than the market
rate if he can help himself The Ia
borer Understands that perfectly. He
does not expect anybody to pay more
than he is compelled to. So he forms
trade union and limits, as much as
possible, the numbers who shall be ad-
mitted to it. He limits the number of
apprentices, and he calls all who would
like to work at that trade but who are
not members of the union scabs and
pelts them with brickbats when neces-
sary. He boycotts all who buy non
union goods. The EN- pioyer does not
relish that kind Of unionizing, because
he does not like any monopoly bat hi
own, yet if he can prevent competition
among producers he will consent to
make an alliance with his employees
against the rest of the ouirunity; no.
very cheerlully, perhaps, but he will do
it because he does not see any easier
way 10 go on. By and by it becomes a
compact between the two that they
Shall charge as much for their goods as
the tariff will allow, and divide the pro-
ceeds. Then the political party that
enacts the tariff claims great merit for
having taxed nine-tenths of the COM
mt1nity in order to raise the wages and
profits Of the small remainder.
The glass industry is an instance very
much in point. | hd duty on common
window glass of the smaller sizes is one
and three-eigh.hs cents per pound. It
ranges from that figure TO four and
three-eighths cents for the largest sizes.
The tariff act does not specify what is
the equivalent ''ad valorem" rate, but
since the rate in ali specified articles
is Is per cent cad valorein', we assume
that the duty on common window
glass is not less. If the glass blowers
have secured their rights under the tar
if, if they have sec 1red what the poll
ticians said they intended to give them,
their wages are IS per cent. above the
average of skilled labor in the country.
We presume that they have got all that
they are entitled to under the most gen.
erous Interpretation of the doctrine of
protection. We recall the, fact that some
years ago, when those who habi ually
tinker with the tariff procured the
passage Of bill adding to the du.iable
value of imported goods the cost of box.
ing, baling, and carriage of the same,
the glass-blowers made computation
OF the amount that this provision would
add to the cost of foreign glass, and
then struck for the whole amount as
wages, and got il /; and we think they
were quite right in doing so. The men
who tinkered the tariff in this way said
that they did so to protect the Ameri-
can laborer, and it was 40 more than
lair that the American laborer should
take them at their word.
Evidently protection belongs not to
the statics, but to the dynamics of CO.
lical economy. 1t is not stationary. It
is always on the move. Having ex-
hausted everything that was conceiv-
abe under the tariff, it took the form
of combination among producers. 1t is
now about to take the labor unions into
partnership, or rather the latter are
forcing themselves ia. Such union is
not practicable in all cases, but it is SO
IN trades requiring high degree of
skill. By preventing boys from learn
ing particular trades, and putting up a
wall against the immigrant laborer and
imported goods, il is possible for the |