New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1904-10-15

quantity of things if purchased tn
: year and if their income be only SlOC
per year they must necessarily curtai
their manner of living to escape debt
The latest combination to boost price
for one of the necessities of life
that composed of the anthracite Goa
companies of Pennsylvania. Beginnin
with last week egg stave and chestun
coal will sell for from 81. 80 to 50. 10
ton. This is the advance for the fall
When winter comes the trust may de
eide upon S6 rate for the best coal
No scarcity of output or strike are re
sponsible.
Coal only takes its place with othe
necessities, for which the public pay
more and more every day.
Wages have not changed materially
one way or the other. Workers in
the sweatshops draw the same pay
they did, but the rents for their East
Side tenements have gone up and the
loaves of bread are smaller
With the trusts the statsticians
place the burden of responsibility for
advances made on necessities. They
point out these as some of the reasons
why $1170 buys today what $1,000 did
a few years ago.
A combination of packers have
formed Beef Trust, which has prac-
tically put the Western farmers at its
mercy and dictates the price of meat.
The packers also control the price of
eggs. The formation of the National
Salt Company under the trust laws of
New Jersey, controlling ninety per
cent of the salt plants of the Uni ted
States was Immediately followed by
an increase in fine salt from 50 cents
to 81. so.
The formation of the National Car
pet Trust, resulted in gradual in
crease in prices until soon the public
was paying twenty per cent more for
carpets than formerly. Eighty per
cent of the carpet mills in the Eastern
and Middle States are controlled by
the combination. 1t operates in harm
ony with the Wool Trust.
The Wire and Nail Trust, the
Chemical Trust, the Lumber Trust
and the Iron and Steel Trusts have
made it more expensive to erect resi-
dences, stores, flats and hotels. aud
therefore figure well up in the factors
for the cost of living. just
why these trusts are responsible is
seen after moments reflection.
The dry goods department store at
which the laborer's wife buys few
yards of cloth, is forced to charge her
a trihe more because of the operations
TO these trusts. In the first place, the
Chemical Trust has increased the
price to the dye-stuffs used in coloring
the clothes. The Lumber Trust has
added it's mite to the prices of the
pine boards out of which the packing
Ease in which the cloth is shipped is
The Wire Nail Trust has added
to the cost of the nails with
which the boards are fastened together.
The Nail Trust makes this increase
partly for its own profit and partly to
'over the increase charged by the Steel
Trust for the raw material. The iron
bands, which are nailed around the
packing case to strengthen it. cost a
rifle more than they formerly did.
N addition to these the operations of
he Wool or Cotton Mill Trust have
their share toward raising
he price. Stoves and kitchen mater
ais have increased about 80 per cent. |
The Coal Trust has made a stiff in
.rease on one needs of the most neces-
AIRY things in life-th production of |
leat. In all each of the three hund- |
red or more trusts have had their
hare in reducing the purchasing pow
r of dollar.