Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-07-28
81 PER YEAR
The Way it Works.

AAO O1SdulLoVlOu VI tuS xQV6TQ8.
tlonal Harvester 90. elimin ated-got
rid decomposition among the manu-
facturers who entered into the trust.
Had the purpose been an honest one
IN the interest Of the implement deal
ers and of those who use the harvest
ers, all the machines made by the har-
vester trust would have been handled
by az implement dealer in each town,
or by as many as wished to engage In
the business. But instead of this, it
confines each dealer to single ma
chine, giving the town four men
handling the trust made goods and
transferring the competition which
heretofore existed among the manu-
facturers to the men who handle their
machines in the several localities.
The purpose seems to be to have as
many persons as possible striving
against each other in each locality,
competing for the sale of the particu-
lar machine they separately handle,
with tendency to compel the dealer
to sell without profit from the trans
action.
1t will be noted that while the har-
vester company could afford to reduce
the prices of its machines through
cheapening production the prices are
maintained, and can they be rid Of the
machines outside the trust, the COM
bine can then advance the price to
the farmer, which is probably the pur-
pose Of organizing the international
Harvester Company.
No farmer for moment should de-
lude himself with the thought that
the trust was formed for the purpose
of his good, but instead for the profit
of the company.
The Thomas Manufacturing Co., of
Springfield, Ohio, makes hay ma
chimes, harrows, drills, lawn mowers
and iron pumps, and is. recognized as
one Of the largest concerns and the
maker of the best grade of goods in its
several lines, writes the following let
ter to Mr. Lyons referring to his let
ter in the PLAIN DEALER Of June 49,,
copied into the July Retailers Senti-
mel, shows how apprehensive Of dam
ger the independent manufacturers
are OF the purposes OF the big trust.
Springfield, Ohio, July II, 1908
| Hon. D. A. Lyons,
Cresco, Iowa.
Dear SIR
| We have just had the
pleasure Of reading your article in the
July number of the Retailers Senti-
mel, the official organ for the Iowss
Implement Dealers Association.
We are very much interested In the
ideas you advance in regard to the
Harvester Trust, and you are certain
ly Gu the right track. Unless this
! Trust is restrained in some way, we
think it will ultimately attempt to
build full line Of Agricultural I'm
plements, and endeavor to run out of
business everybody else by various
methods. What surprises US, In view
of this probability is, that so many OF
the implement dealers are still hand
ling their goods on their penalty ex-
elusive contract, which certainly the
Harvester Trust nor any of its Off.
cials would sign for anybody else, and
yet they try to make the implement
dealers of the country sign 1t, or go
without their goods. We certainly
hope that the dealers generally will
adopt your views of this question, be-
cause you are absolutely right about
it.
Yours truly,
w. S. THOMAS.
i In the article referred to, Mr.. Lyons
alluded to the possibility OF the COM
pany suspending the manufacture of
one or more OF the machines in the
combine, thus saving the cost Of carry
| ing a lot Of attachments and repairs
for half a dozen different implements
while single set will answer for the
one machine it finally adopts.
In the Implement Age of April q,
1908, appeared the following notice