Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1908-11-11
WEDNESDAY EVENING, NOV. II, 1908
THE MidvaIe steeI Company,

The MidVale Steel Company, Of
Philadelphia, has apparently entered In
10 combination with the Carnegie snd
Bethlehem companies to share IN the
profits of making armor plate for Inc
government, and the hope OF lower
prices through competition has dlsap-
pesred. Bids for amor plate opened at
the Navy Department on Monday showed
identical propositions from each OF the
companies for class A amor, and Tor
such bids for class B, o and d as to
make Zach of the companies lowest
bidder for one Of the classes. In other
words, 1t was obvious from the blds
thst the companies had entered into an
agreement which would permit diVl'
sion of the class A contract and insure
the aga,d to each Of them of one OF the
other contracts. la the opinion oil the
naval authorities, there is no question
that The bids show al agreement among
tho steel companies to divide the big
conta # for class a armOr, and to force
q distribution of the other contracts
among them. When the Midvsle COM
panv fret entered the srmor-plste COM
n4ition it was with bid so far below
that of the Carnegie and Bethlehem
conn auies that it was thought the mo-
noply enjoyed by those companies was
n he broken. Notwithstanding THE,
however, larger contracts we're given the
older concerns, and Mid'ale got merely
enough work to cradle it 10 demonstrate
whstber il could make sstisfact)ry plates
Again last year the Mldvale concern
wa, the lowest bidder, aud again 1t got
the smallest contracts. On Monday,
however, the bids we're Identical, so 1t Is
evident that the old "armor plate trust"
hs, been revived and extended, and now
more than ever has the government at
It, mercy. They indicate also that the
Midysle Steel Company, whose inde-
pendent competition bFoke up the old
"srmor plate trust" has been either
won over to trust ways or absorbed by
the old Crust companies. Ia refer
euce to these srmor plate bids the Phil
adelphia Record says;
One possibility suggested by the EVIL
dent concert Of action BY the Micvsle
and its two formtr rivals is that during
the parlous times Of the panic last fall,
or winter. the old "trust" companies,
taking advantage of the necessities oil
their Younger rival, obtained control OF
that company, aud now dominate 1t,
making firm their grip on the srmor'
plate situation. This view, II correct,
raises the question: ITO what extent
did President Roosevelt aid In bringing
sbout this cond ton Of consolidation,
control or absorption Lattfali' Wheo
the steel trust practically asked Permis-
sion OF Roosevelt to buy up their great
est competitor, the Tennessee Iron q
Goal Company, and be held blsmt-
less under The antitrust law, Roosevelt
is alleged to have given such permits
sion. He is further alleged 10 have
given this permission in such manner
that representatives of the steel trust
took it as a tip that they might extend
farther the process Of buying up rivals,
and that control of the NJ dvsle CON-
tauy was The result Of the cue thus 81
legged to have been given. How fer this
apparent immunity Of the steel trust
may 90 is likely to be indicated by the
further actions of the federal authorities
in the alter of the identical bids for
srmor plate.