Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-09-30
FIVE IN THE MERGER.
Western Harvesting Machine Compa-
MES Have Formed Combine.

western harvesting MdCnine SomPd'
nies Have Formed Combine.
Four of the five large harvest
ing machinery companies which
have effected a combine are
represented in this city and
the local managers who have al
ways been strong competitors for the
business in their districts now find
themselves working for the same cor
poration. The Plano, Mccormick,
Deering and Champion are the COM
panies represented in Ottumwa, the
other firm in the merger the Milwau-
kee Harvesting Machinery Co.. of Mil
waukee, Wis, not being represented.
The merger was engineered by ].
Pierpont Morgan and is known as the
International Harvester company with
capitalization of S1200O0,0G0. 1t is
claimed that the five companies in the
combination do ninety per cent of the
business in the west
Object of the Combine.
The international Harvester COM
pany expects that through the extern
sion of it's business and the important
economies which it can effect it will be
able to hold down the prices of farm
machinery to a minimum and to
steady the market. Raw material has
been steadily advancing during the
last few years, and the manufacturers
have been forced to adopt some means
whereby large economics might be
made or they would be compelled to
increase the price of agricultural ma
chinery. which they realize would in
jure the farmer or react upon them.
A Uniform Price.
Retailers will, it is said. be benefit
ed by the combine as several import
ant changes designed for their vel
fare have been made. The most i'm
portant is the adoption of a uniform
price for the various grades Of ma
chinery. Heretofore, the manufacture
ers, in response to the urgent demands
of the retailers, have at times, 1t is
stated, scaled the prices, and this
created discord among the agents.
With uniform price on all goods man
ufactured by the firms in the combine,
this objection will be removed and
each agent will know that his compel
itor is paying the same price as he
is paying.
Will Benefit the Retailer.
Another feature which will be APP
preciated by agents is the addition to
the stock of all the repairs necessary
On the machine. Formerly it was nee
essary for them to send to the district
agency or to the house for these re-
pairs. but now hey will be sent out
to the agents and will always be in
stock when needed without occasion
ing the delay experienced in the past.
The insurance on the stock, which i'll
the past was carried by the retailer,
will since the firms have combined,
be carried by the manufacturers. The
change. according to the plans out
lined will benefit the retailer.
All Western Capital.
The combine is made up wholly of
western manufacturers. No eastern
ers have been interested as yet, and
it is not know that any overtures have
been made them. Some of the firms
! which are not in the merger arc
/ wealthy concerns, the most prominent
4 among which are D. NJ. Osborne & Co.
of Auburn, N. Y, tombstone Harvester
company of Batavia, N. Y, Walter A
7 NUOu, AOWflS duu hSupiuS MdCHiuS
1 Co., of Hocsick Falls. N. Y and Ad.
rance, Platt & Co., of Poughkeepsie,
i N. Y
No Change lin Management.
No change in the management of the
various agencies of the companies in
terested has been made. The agencies
are known as the Plano division of the
International Harvester company, the
Mccormick division, etc, and there is
| the same competition among the
agencies as formerly. The same force
tof agents are employed as before tha
merger was effected, and thus far the
new departure has had no effect what
ever in the affairs of the local branch
es.