The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1925-10-07
Greater Mergers Mean
More Militant Battles
For the Working Class
BY }. LOUIS ENoDAHL.

TODAY new mergers in the food industries in
in the cost of living and greater attacks on
the workers standard Of living in these industries with all
the resulting savings in economies of management going as
ever in profits to the parasite stockholders.
This is especially true of the acquisition by the Ward
Baking Co. of the General Baking Co., creating the greater
bread trust with its sugar reneres flour mills dairy COM
panes and bakeries in all sections OF the country he sales
Of the two corporations now approximate $1oooooooo an
nualIy.
The Ward corporation has won its present victory
its competitors thru years of clever dealing It has
fully overcome local preudces in all those centes that it
has invaded This shrewdness born Of attempt to
anticipate and overcome public opposition, revealed in
the fact that bread prices lowered the Of the
announcement OF this new merger Thus the public is led
to believe that monopoly cheaper bread, whereas
in fact cheaper prices merely operate weapon to kill
off small competitors making the raising OF prices in the
not distant future an easier task
The Ward corporation is "open shop" concern. Its
bread factories in Chicago at first unonized but the
bakers union has since been ousted with the plants
Grating antiunion basis This will be the policy of
the merger.
The value of Ward and General Baking shares have
gone up the stock market and the only explanation
is that thru the merger many savings effected that
will result in growing profits No mention of course, is
made OF higher prices later according to the WeknoWn
business principle OF all the traffic will bear"
Similar developments are revealed in the acquisition of
the Liberty Yeast Co., by the FIeschman corporation
of the merging of II canneres operating
Alaska territory where the fish trust with the aid of Secre-
tary OF Commerce Hoover has been steadily building its
power while the workers in its employ suffer the worst
plotaton
Just the other day another shipment of newsprn paper
was received by the DAILY WORKER from the Spanish
River Pulp and Paper Mills, Ltd that has three mills in
Canada where much of the newsprint the United
States comes from. Now the news, however,
this company is to be swallowed by the Abb Power
Paper Co., Ltd, along with another paper in
New England similar consultations taking place.
When the first stages of such mergers being per-
tected quarter OF century ago. under the direction
great Wall Street bankers including the elder j. Perpont
Morgan, there great noise in Washington Teddy"
Roosevelt in the white house Washington just begin
ming to warm up trust buster while the Sherman anti
trust law was being brought into action.
Today, however, all is quiet in Washington. The Coo
dge administration looks with approving eyes these bust
consultations the legislatures are quescen the
Interstate commerce commission lends helping hand and
the courts have nothing say The of greater con-
solidations develops unchaIIenged.
Not even from the camp of organized labor the annual
convention OF the American Federation of Labor does there
go forth challenge declaring for militant struggles for the
organization OF the workers in these industries Against
the inauguration Of dollars there is counter move for
the amagamaton of workers organizations in order that
they may be the better able carry on the STRUGGLE
The official labor regime leaves the workers them,
selves, in most completely unorganzed to devotion
these struggles This they will forced to do for
protection, or face gradually lowering standard of living