Courier Democrat., 1904-02-04
MR.. coRTELY0u DEFIED
Hundreds of Illegal Trusts Laugh
at the New Bureau.
rLAuNT THEMSELVES IN IT'S FACE

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Bureau of Industries Has Slept One
Ysar-No sign of Life Yet-Plenty
of Trusts, but No Publicity In sight.
Where to Find the Trusts Iron
Age Full of Them.
The bureau of industries of the new
department of commerce, which was
formed last year by the Republicans to
demolish the trusts by publishing the
facts about them, has slept nearly one
year, and there are no surface indica-
tions that its Rip Van Wrinkle slumbers
are nearing an end. The little informa-
ton about this bureau published in the
annual report of the department of
commerce indicates that there will be
no publicity of trust transactions until
after the presidential election.
But the trusts are not asleep. They
are having Il riotous time around this
sleeping doing bureau. Hundreds of
them are openly and daily plundering
the public in defiance of all law Pick
up almost any trade paper, and you
will find details of trusts that clearly
are illegal both in the eyes Of the Sher-
man antitrust act and of the common
law. The steel, coal, tobacco and scores
of other great trusts are most certainly
illegal, but the trust attorney general
refuses to act upon the facts put into
his hands more than a year ago about
these great criminals, although eminent
lawyers declare that these facts estab-
lish the illegality of these trusts. Per-
haps the bureau Of industries recog
nizes that it is useless to obtain facts
that the attorney general does not want
and would not use if he had them.
To show how easy it is to find trusts,
unless you are as blind as bat at mid
day, the following extracts are quoted
from an article in the Iron Age of Jan.
Z, entitled THE Pitlsburg Iron Trade
In 1902
''Pricc Agreements.-In 1908 there
were in existence price agreements of
four of the principal fixed lines of iron
and steel. these being plates, structural
material, steel bars and shafting. In
addition the rail pool was maintained
all through the year, and the billet pool
was revived in July. During the entire
year the price of beams was main
tained steadily on the basis of 1.6O
cents up 10 Is inch, and plates were the
same price.
"The price of steel bars was main
tanned steadily at 1.G0 cents, Pittsburg,
until November, when, owing to the
lower prices OH pig iron and steel and a
very light demand, it was deemed ad
visable by the Steel Bar association to
reduce prices, and accordingly a cut of
$6 was made, the price being reduced
from 1.60 to 1.30 cents. At the same
time and for practically the same rea-
sons the Shafting association made a
reduction of about 10 per cent in price
of shafting
"These price agreements have been
renewed for 1904 and will continue in
force all through the year unless some
unexpected conditions come up which
would make it advisable to terminate
them, but this is hardly likely.
''The Steel Rail association has main
tained the price of standard sections
all through the year at SOS at mill, and
in spite Of general expectations of re-
duction we understand that the mills
have again renewed the price of $2S for
1904 delivery.
"Owing' to depression in the steel
trade, which started in the summer
months, the price of steel billets stead
lily declined and the trade became de-
moralized, some large sales having
been made to leading consumers at
very low figures. Owing to these condi-
tions the billet manufacturers deemed
it advisable to revive the billet pool for
the purpose of steadying the market,
and this was done in July. The price
of Bessemer billets was fixed at $27
and open hearth at $2s 1t was very
soon demonstrated, however, that the
trade would not take hold at these
prices, and at a meeting Of the billet
pool in November cut of 81 was made
in Bessemer and S. in open hearth, the
price of Bessemer and open hearth bill
lets being put at $23, Pittsburg. On Dec.
1S meeting of the billet pool was held
in New York, and this price was re-
newed for all of 1904"
What fun the trusts are having! What
picnic the people would have if the
bureau of industries would wake I'D
and "get busy" Will it and the attor-
ney generals Office ever be run in the
interest of the people and against the
trusts? BYRON W. HOLT.
HQunffea Yersna Proteefion