Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1911-08-10
Gigantic Corporation Wages War on
Employees IN Order to
Lower Wages.
THAT LEAVES IT FREE
TO FILM THE PUBLIC.
BID Bakers Trimmed Little Bakers BY
Withdrawing known
Trade Marks.

GA0G MOUH0s
+ --O--lssts E
About the most serious struggle
ever had since its formation is at the
present time confronting the Bakery
and Confectionery Workers Interna-
tional Union of America. "To be or
not to be" is the question involved
in this struggle for this valiant orgsni-I
cation. The tight is directed against
the bread monopoly which has recent
ly been formed for the purpose Of con-
trolling the bread market OF the en-
tire country. It is a well known fact
that the United States is the home OF
some of the most gigantic trusts and
combinations of capital, and although
some of the most important indus
tries OF our country have already been
monopolized, nobody seemed to enter
tain the belief that the bread market
also1would become the field of activity
OF the monopolistic efforts Of our most
enterprising capitalists. Even in the
face OF the fact that the Bread Trust
has now become . reality there are
still. people who refuse to. believe that
the bread market can be controlled by
any trust. They maintain that in the
baking trade industry is still being
carried on in large measure upon a
small basis and that it would be i'm
possible to crush these small COM
.petitors and force them to the wall.
However, developments during the
past few years have proved the fallacy
of this contention, and the bakery
workers we're the first ones to realize
the impending danger for themselves
and the bread-consuming public. They
saw how the large bread factories
continually increased in numbers. how
these large factories, by introducing
the latest and most modern labor
saving machinery. were seeking to
displace human labor power, and
they were compelled to somewhat
counteract these efforts on the the
part Of the large bread manufactur-
ers by continually aiming to reduce
the hours OF labor for their members.
Now a number OF the largest factories
have formed the Bread Trust. At the
present time there are three OF these
combinations Of capital, but the time
will soon come when only one gigantic
Bread Trust win be in existence.
These three combinations of bread
manufacturers are capitalized at
thirty-five million of dollars. The
General Baking Company. already
operating in twenty+six of the largest
cities where it controls just as many
factories, is capitalized at $25. OO0, 900;
the Schultz Baking Company. operat-
ing principally in the city of Greater
New York, is capitalized at $6,OOO,OOO.
and the Ward Bread Company claims
a capitalization of $5,OOO,O0O.
These three combinations Of capt.
tai have combined all bread factories
whose products have been for years
ON the market, carrying a certain
trade mark. And there certainly was
some method to this particular action
OF the Bread Trust. The bread manu-
facturers, not satisfied with supplying
the market in their own city, loaned
these trademarks under contracts 70
master bakers in smaller towns, and
whenever these contracts expired
they refused to renew them. When
the master bakers were deprived Of
the right to the future use Of the
trademark and when the public had
become accustomed to it, the bread
manufacturers set out to capture
that trade. The bread consuming pub
lie, being used to the trademark for
so many years, then became easy prey
for the Bread Trust. Exc
Can you realize the seriousness OF
this fight which the bakery workers
are at present compelled to carry on?
On the one side we find three gigantic
cOuiuhAAttSAtS ~ S0pty1A ASteNS 49,
counted millions at their disposal,
even being blindly supported by the
majority OF unthinking members Of
the working class. On the other side
we find the organization OF the bakery
workers. with its very limited fnaT-
cial means. The international organi
zation of the bakery workers has
about $4,000 In It's treasury and OF
this amount considerable sum be-
longs to the various funds created for
the support of members in case of
strikes. lockouts and sickness. and
Enis money cannot be used FOR other
purposes.
One Of the principal intentions OF
the Bread Tfust-and there win be
S,,,k Sn,,n l.. Ah<, ,lcar fufura for the