Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-06-01

Near-NO Sign of Life Sct-picnty
of Trusts. but No Publicity In sight.
Where tn Find the Trusts Iron
Age Full of Them.
The bureau of Industries of the new
of commerce, which was
formed last year by the Republicans to
dcmolisb the trusts by publishing the
facts about them. has slept nearly one
year. and there are no surface indicA-
tions that its Rip Van Winklc slunbers
are nearing an end. Tie little inioriha
ton about this bureau published i'll tie
annual report uf the department OF
commerce indicates that there VIII be
no publicity If trust transactions unti
after lie presidential election.
Blu, the trusts ~" Hot asleep. They
are having Il riotoas tfHr around tbs
sleeping, ''szin- burau= hundreds Of
them are eae1j> and daily pllnderlns
the public III daiIaaee ri All law. PICK
up almost amy trasle fz1ter and YOU
will find details Of Jfdsts that clearly
are illegal botl ju the eyes Of tn" Shefz
man antitrust act and Of the common
law. Tie steel, coa. tobacco and scores
of other great trusts are most certainly
illegal, but the trust attorney @"1l ri
refuses TO act upon TIE lactS rUt INTO
his hands more than 4 3,ar AGO about
these great criminals, although eminent
lawyers declare that these facts cst.ib=
lish the illc-ality of these trusts. ier-
haps the bureau of industries recoS=
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 Il bat at mid
day, the following extracts are quoted
from an article in the Iron Age of Jan.
2, entitled "rhe Pittsburg Iron Trade
In 1909
price Agrccmcnts.-In 1903 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
tAincd steadily on the basis of GO
cents UP 10 IL inch, and plates were the
same price.
'The price of steel bars was lnain
tanned steadily at l.GO cents. Httsburg
until November when. owing to the
lower prices on pig iron and steel and II
very light demand. it WAS deemed ad
visable by the Steel Bar association to
reduce prices, and accordingly Il cut of
Sc was made. the price being reduced
from l.6O to 30 cents. At the same
time and for practically the same rea-
sons the Shafting association made II
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
1.-The Steel Rail association has main
tanned the price of standard sections
all through the year at S22S at mill and
in spite of general expectations of Il re
duction we understand that the mills
have again renewed the price Of SIS 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 hccame de
moralized, some large sales having
been made to leading consumers Mt
very low figures Owing to these coudi-
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 Bcssemer billets was fixed at $21
and open hearth at SOS 1t was very
soon demonstrated, however. that the
trade would not take hold at these
prices, and ut meeting of the billet
pool In November a cnt of 81 was made
in Besscmer and s. in open hearth. the
price of Ressemor and oi,"n toariA bill
lets being put at $23, Pittshurg. On Dee
io s4.ee1lug Of :he billet pool was held
in New York, ana this price WAS re
ncwcd for all of 1901
What fun the trusts are having. What
Il picnic the people would aaye if the
bureau of industries would wake up
and get busy" VIII it and the attor-
ney generals Office ever be run in the
interest of the people and against the
trusts? BYRON w. HOLT.
Bounties Versus Protection.
lNnl. IN .,nnnln tho .rnNnr.lnnnt Is