TRUSTS, COMBINES, ETC. 113 



by fifteen to twenty millions of dollars annually than 

 they now enjoy. 



Advantages similar to those of the Standard over 

 their competitors are being secured all down through 

 our manufacturing and commercial enterprises. Not 

 long since a certain line of manufacture was not paying 

 the concerns interested profits which satisfied them. A 

 combine was proposed. The " big fish " of the industry 

 refused to consent to an arrangement for an advance, 

 unless he was allowed two cents per dozen, or about 10 

 per cent, on sales of the article by all the parties to the 

 proposed arrangement, until he received ten thousand 

 dollars out of their profits. The combine was formed ; 

 he received his 20 per-cent. advance on his own produc- 

 tion, and finally his ten thousand dollars from the others. 

 Such arrangements are being continually entered into 

 and executed all over America, under shelter of the 

 country's laws, whenever such sheltering is required. 



Trusts and combines place the consumer at the mercy 

 of the monopolist, who is empowered to dictate his own 

 terms. If the consumer will but open his eyes, he will 

 see that in many important industries competition has 

 been virtually destroyed. It was stated not long since 

 by the New York Times that the Stair Oil-Cloth Associa- 

 tion of the United States, a pool of manufacturers, had 

 made the one who violates the terms of the combine 

 liable to a fine of $500 : no customer being allowed to 

 undersell stipulated prices, while they reserve the right 

 to advance prices at any time. 



Very similar to the action of the Oil-Cloth Association 

 has been that of the only lock-manufacturing company 

 of Canada. Sheltered behind a thirty-five-cent protec- 

 tion, it has put in force a requirement that all jobbers 



