The professional world. (Columbia, Mo.) 1901-192?, 1902-09-19
SEWING MACHINE TRUST
THIRTY MILLION COMBINE TO
INCLUDE ALL BIG COMPANIES
Twelve Leading Concerns Have Al
ready Agreed to Contemplation
Said to Have Caused the Manufac-
turers to Get Observation-Disclosures,
Ill, Will be Western Headquarters
Names of Firms Involved.

Belvidere, ILL.,, Sept. ia sewing
machine trust, with a capital of $780,
000, 900, is in process of formation ac-
cording to information from a source
of high authority. Already it is claimed
that IL concerns have agreed to join,
and it is expected to secure a number
of others. The firms involved so far
are:
The New Home company of Orange,
Mass.
The Household of Providence, R. 1.
The Domestic of Newark, N. j.
The Demorest of Williamsport, Pa.
The Williams Manufacturing COM
pany of Plattsburg, N. Y.
The Standard company of Cleveland,
Ohio.
The White companies of Cleveland,
Ohio.
The Davis of Dayton, o.
The Foley & Williams Manufactur-
ing company of Chicago and Kankakee,
III.
The Illinois Sewing Machine company
of Rockford. III.
The Chicago Sewing Machine COM
pany of Chicago.
The National Sewing Machine COM
pany of Belvidere, III.
1t is planned to make Belvidere the
principal Western manufacturing point.
consolidating several factories at this
city to save expense. The factory now
located here has a daily capacity of over
1000 sewing machines and employs l.
200 men.
The deal has been under considera-
tion for several weeks. Representatives
| nt tho 1Qahin0 cnuyip r p,oohipn oonoorne
have been in session at the Waldorf
Astoria hotel in New York City ar
ranging the details, and it is stated that
everything has been arranged satisfac-
torilv, and that the final settlement is
now up to the auditors and appraisers.
The last meeting at the New York head
quarters was held last Friday after
noon, at which time all sewing ma
chine manufacturers who had been in
cluded in the proposed merger signed
the necessary papers to complete the
deal.
1t is stated that the financiers behind
the proposed merger have agreed upon
Barnabas Eldredge. president of the Ma
tional Sewing Machine company of this
city, as president of the trust. Mr.. Ed
redge is an old and experienced man in
the sewing machine business. He be-
gan in Detroit years ago, and later To-
Gated in Chicago, where he conducted
a business until his removal to Bel
videre II years ago. At present he con
trolls the National Sewing Machine
company, which has a capital of over
$1,000, 900.
Mr.. Eldridge returned from New
York yesterday. He refused to be inter
viewed concerning the formation of the
trust. A sewing machine mar who is
in a position to know said it was true
that the combine had been agreed upon
He said everything was settled eXcep'
the work of the appraisers.
The combination, he said, is made
necessary because of the fierce compete
ton in the sewing machine business
He said this competition came largel!
from the mail order houses of the coun'
try. who bought sewing machines il
large quantities at a close margin ant
then sold them as leaders with scarcely
any profit.
The Singer company, which does al
agency business exclusively, has no
been considered in the combination, al
the promoters figured that this com
pany does not enter into competition
with the companies which sell to- TIL
mail order houses and jobbers. TIL
sewing machine factories which are re
ported to be in the combination are 10
Gated in the central West and the East