New-York tribune., 1906-11-04
ENGLAND'S SOAP TRUST.
A Newspaper Cam paig@ IN Place of
Government Regulation.
r.ondnn- nctrher u.

:, sosp. This is the cherished delusion that
,~rsts are created by and dependent upon tar
az. and consequently are impossible in Coooen s
England Trusts nave been fought SO shenu-
ouslv IN America by legislation And IN ne
oovrts taat some CT the most important CT
,ben, are seeking for a foreign osse of or
.,i~ation: in germany systematic use has
been made OF ih.m for regulating production
and prices and for charging the export trade
\, du,npins operations: sad in the United
.i,,edora there have been combinations in one
.asuetrv after another ard goods have been
o,s for export below the market prices, and
c,.dulous Free Traders have deliberately closed
,beir ewes and asserted that such things could
A., done only in Protection countries The Soap
trust formed by Liberal member CT rarl'a-
,,snt has been followed by sunburst OF pub
,cir,. Whether yellowish newspapers have been
x,.b,ened rv the menace oY losing from ST. 900.
0aO 10 81 100000 in advertising, or the average
Brjton has been Convinced that his daily tub
b,,b viii be ineffective with soap OF light weight
she truth at last is blurted out Trusts are
ossu,e In Free Trade England The same
osuses which lead 10 concentration Of capital
,ra con, bination of interests in America and in
Germany have also operated in the United
kingdom without a Protective tariff There is
no legislation for lighting them as there is in
America. There is only the halfpenny news
rsner 10 take up the cause of the great un-
washed and to warn sleepy John Bull that
bread and meat trusts may come next
The soapmakcrs themselves are astonished. or
rrofess 10 be. tha: newspapers Of any tinge
should concern themselves IN so simple mat
,er They, assert that they have merely formed
a working agreemcnt-a little amalgamation for
c7rtroIIinc about 50 per cent Of the product:
md they have done this not for the purpose OF
rutting up prices, but i'm order 10 cheaper
them by effectins large reductions in the car
riage and distribution of goods. IN the eN-
nenses Of commercial travellers and agents, and
cspeciallv iu competitive advertising. Nh
Lever. who carried one of The Cheshire diyls-
tons al TIE last general election as a con-
sistent Free Trader and strenuous opponent
of Nr Cbanlberlain's tarid prouosais, cannot
understand why there should he any foolish
talk about a trust lie rliJerates the time
worn formula that There cannot he anything
INT unrestricted competition in country
where there is 40 tariff, but he is promptly
met with the open charge that he is ostab-
fishing a one-nan monopoly 10 corner raw ms
ierial and crush the producing firms which he
is unable 10 buy out. The minority, rein
forced by the Groccrs' Federation, has declared
war upon the trust and Is already accusing Il
az tanpering with weights and selling fifteen
ounces for a pound ana eleven for twelve
ounces. Me6QN ME, fne tol4tililat toils Win ll'
SGO0O0O00 of capital has mapped out the
kingdom into districts 10 he worked and col
troled by leading members, ana has arranged
q basis for the develO2ment of the export
trade For thirty years there has been
powerful association of manufacturers which
las regulated weights and prices. It now be-
comes profit sharing amalgamation. or trust.
uy which economies can be effected. comPet-
ron on ruinous terms prevented and the ser
vices OF large body OF middemsn and agents
dispensed with.
The formation Of this trust IS not by any
means an exceptional event II is not moro
remarkable than the steel tube combination
consisting of sixty firms in England. Scotland
and Wales, which has been brought about
after protracted negotiations. That is an ar
rangement for reducing discounts TO a uni
form basis, regulating prices for export and
the home market putting an end 20 rate cut
ting, and harmoniz!ns Interests generally.
Free competition IS 20 5e allowed in boiler
tubes. but that Is because th-re is a large firm
outside the combination. which is 10 be disci-
plined and forced 70 join IT,
There are scores of similar pools for regu-
lattng production. prices and distribution in
the cotton woolen, iron and steel, oilcake
and other industries. In some instances the
owners OF plants have bought out an
other and formed new limited company, with
fresh issue of stock: but oftener there is a
hard and fast agreement by which production
is systematized ct fixed prices and the busi-
ness controlled by group g. the largest manu-
iacturers. Free imports have been as power
less as a tariff in a Protection country for
preventing concentration Of capital and com
hlnatons Cor common benefit II these in
oustrial movements have escaped publicity il
has been because there has been no effect on
newspaper advertising. II is when a tobacco
OF soap trust is organized, or a cocoa com
olnaton Is under negotiation, that the half
penny press is forciby reminded that competi-
lion implies profitable advertising as well as
iair prices. Columns are then devoted 10 a
sensational campaign against trusts. and John
buA Is eShorteo IN shrin tones TO put his foot
down and 10 smash all these nefarious atteD,pts
TO Americanizs Free Trade England"
Nj Lever, for example, is now STYLED the
Napoleon OF the soap trade and arnons ,ba ,,c-
tories TO which he is described as ruthlessly
marching. with the old guard Of soap barons be-
h'ho him, are the ruin OF competing manufact-
ners' The spoliation OF small shopkeepers and
4eAsH srocers and the impoverishment of the
masses TO whom dear soap will be as fatal az
'S@ on 1000. The English Soap Trust, II is as
suneo' VIII control about so per cent OF the
tyeerlne produced in the kingdom, aad this viii
4S'se the cost OF drugs. medicines and toilet ari
win consumers condemned to pay higher
pfloes for inferior articles. It win be equally
OuIoensome for the poor housewife to keen her
tenement kitchen clean and for the belle of
9-sVIalr to be mistress Of all her fascinatiops.
4he bulk Of the glycerine. moreover, is used for
dynamite and explosives and consequently the
soap Trust is adding 10 the cost OF nlininr. AND
me science OF war. The newspaper carnna,er
axes wide range, and unless the energies Of
'e'oIiners are diverted TO other sensations. nu-
neious other side interests affected by the waste