The Minneapolis journal., 1902-08-18
TRUST TAKES HOLD
International Harvester Co. Now
Controls the Local Stocks.
MORE CHANGES ARE TO BE MADE
As 1t Is Now, the Trust Simply Holds
Insurance in Its
Name.


Harvester company, organized but few
days ago, Is now doing business from
Minneapolis and other distributing points
for harvesting machinery in the north
| west. Managers expect that instructions
to reduce forces and make other changes
Will arrive in a short time. On the even
ing of the same day that the negotiations
were concluded and the announcement
made, managers of the northwestern
branches were given hurry up order to-
have the insurance on stocks and other
property made over to Che International
Harvester company. There, was a grand
| rush for insurance men until late into the
night, some of them being pulled out Of
bed to make the transfers. This being
done, the international Harvester COM
pany although still operating numerous
branches at each point in the. northwest
squared away for business.
Agents of the five companies In the
combination are conducting business, on
the old competitive basis until instruc-
tions to institute changes arrive. The
| canvasser IN the field is still hustling
hard for his company and roasting the
| other make of binder as hard as If the
new cards in binder manufacturing. and
selling had not been dealt. But this con-
dition will last but a short time. 1t is
| the known intention of the combination
to lop off as many canvassers and experts
as possible.
Agents to BE Let Ont.
! Combination Of the FIVE big concerns
| necessarily means that many general
agents will be let out. 1t is thought
! however, that the enlarged field which the
new company will seek to conquer will
furnish employment and opportunity fol
some Of the abler agents. Although nc
one guessed that harvester combine was
| being formed, there was an impression In
some quarters that a big deal was on
1t has been suggested to some general
agents in the west that there was a pos
s1bility Of their being requested to take
agencies in other parts of the country.
1t is the general opinion in the machin-
cry trade that the combination has an ex-
Cellent opportunity to save money in dis
posing of it's goods Competition for busi-
ness has been savage and each concern
has been forced into an expensive> organ.
ization for selling it's machines. The
plan on which most of them have worked
was to pay the retail dealer commits
sion and furnish canvassers for selling
experts for keeping the machines in re-
pair, and collectors to round up the casl
on the farmers notes after harvest
While this system may be continued tht
number Of men necessary to keep it VI
will be remarkably less under the com
bination. Different sections of the coun
try have their favorites among the diff
ferent makes of binders. In recent year
all of the larger concerns have beel
| fighting for prestige in all sections of tn
country where harvesting machinery !
used to any extent. This has been an ex
pensive campaign. The Internationa
company will eliminate much Of this
Wherever one of the five makes 1t con
trolls is stronger in the farmers estima
tion than the others, the business will b
nursed along those lines instead of en-
. deavoring to demolish the prestige Of tn
reigning favorite. -
independents May Profit.
The Mccormick, .Deering,. Champion
Plano and Milwaukee makes of Aarvestin
machinery are the five owned by the com
bination. All Of these are REPRESENTED i
the northwest. Through their superio
capital and facilities, and their agrees
iveness the first two have had a Ion
/ lead. There are six other makes of bind
!, ers which will still be competing 70
business unless purchased by the Interna
, tional company. They are the Buckeye
manufactured at Akron, Ohio; the Acme
manufactured at Pekin, ILL.,; the Minneap
, oils, manufactured by the American Gras
) Irvine company, of which the Northwes
, tern Grass Twine company at St. Paul
: a branch; the Osborn, of Auburn, N. Y.
the Johnson of Batavia, N. Y, and tn
Walter A. Wood, manufactured at Hoosic
Falls, N. Y. The Johnson Harvester com
l pany IS not represented in the northwes
although it is formidable in other part
l of the country. AS long as any of thes
, companies remain in the field 1t will b
e necessary for the international to keep u
t it's same thorough system of getting bust
! ness, to go after the trade instead Of fore
! ing the trade to come to 1t. It Is though
! that the Independents will be satishe
= with the new condition Of affairs as 1t re
! lieves the situation of the savage compe
. tttion which might have resulted som
. time in some of the individual compa
Y MES being "caught in the Squeeze, The
can sell slightly under the price of tt
t combine, trail along in its wake, and,
r is thought, do good business.
n Competition with the combination wi
!! depend much for its future success upo
u the ability Of the Independents to secur
u the material necessary and especially tn
e steel supplies. In the past few years wit
n the Capitalization of the steel industr
e some of the larger harvester companie
u have found 1T necessary to control til
source Of these supplies. The Deerin
n company invested in ore lands in Mime
: sofa and is building steel mills at CHI
y cago. In. this connection the fact thu
= four members Of the Internation
y companys board of directors a.
t also directors in the United Stat,
L Steel corporation is interesting.
r indicates frinedly relations between IL
It steel trust and the harvester combinatio
u These four men are E. H. Gary, attorne
g for the steel trust; George W. Perkin
Of Morgan & Co.; Norman B. Ream,
e Chicago, and Charles Steele, of Ne
l. York.
II 1t has not been indicated which one
n the branches will do the business of tt
in NE