76 The Tariff and the Farmer. 



independent establishments nnder the control of the same 

 board of directors. Sometimes large establishments 

 prevent the lowering of the price of their product when 

 in the hands of retailers by fixing the price of such goods 

 after they have passed through the hands of jobber and 

 wholesale dealer. Those who fail to conform cannot 

 obtain a new stock of such goods. Such action is far 

 more warranted than where retailers are not allowed to 

 sell similar goods manufactured by rival firms. 



From the following quotation it is seen that Mr. James 

 Logan, manager of the United States Envelope Com- 

 pany, located in Worcester, Mass., denies that there is an 

 agreement or understanding between manufacturers, but 

 it is seen that the method he indicates eliminates compe- 

 tition largely, if not entirely, which is the chief thing 

 sought. He says : ' ' The price-list established by the con- 

 solidated coriDoration is not guessed at by the rule-of- 

 thumb, but is wrought out on a scientific basis of account- 

 ing, and that price-list is the base from which not only 

 the consolidated corporation does business, but every one 

 of its competitors, not that the competitors of the large 

 corporations altogether adhere to either list prices or 

 standards of quality, but the list as established is the 

 base line from which they make all their calculations. 

 I believe I am perfectly safe in saying that in not one sin- 

 gle industry does the large corporation control the market. 

 It maintains at great cost a system by which its costs of 

 production are very accurately determined, and when a 

 new price-list is issued, all competitors will duplicate 

 that list within forty-eight hours, or just as soon as they 

 can get it through the printing-office. They are not called 

 upon to exercise one particle of judgment, and they 

 don't; they simply follow copy, and they follow it so 



