The Wrapping Paper Trust

The representatives of the wrapping paper combine concluded their secret conference at the Auditorium yesterday, and were congratulating themselves last evening before departing f or their homes on the fact that they had gathered in three more f actories - two in Ohio and one in Indiana. There are fiftyeight milis in the United States engaged in manufacturing coarse wrapping paper, and of these twenty-six are in the trust, which has its headquarters in Chicago. This trust was badly wrecked by the antitrust law when it first came into f orce, and has not fully recovered from the shock. However, it is making rapid strides, and expects to have all the milis back into the combine in a year or two. At present it runs nnder no particular name.and without a president or any high sounding title of any sort. The product of its twenty-sis milis is marketed through a general agent, and he, with two others, constitutes the executive committee. They are 3. C. Richardson and F. G. Trebein, both of Ohio, and J. B. Halladay, of Chicago. The last named is the general agent of the concern, and from his headquarters in Chicago supplies the market of the country with coarse wrapping paper, except in so f ar as the independent milis supply it. There are a large number of milis not now in the trust, and these are. as usual. cutting pnces. The trust price for common wrapping paper ranges froin $1.25 to $1.75 per 100 pcninds, while the figures of the independent inakers range froin five to ten cents less. The object of the meeting was to ertend the membership of the trust and take steps to prevent further hurtful competition. The progress in this direction was quite fiattering. Three of the largest milis outside of the trust were taken into the f old and others are preparing to follow. A slight ent in prices was ordered, but Mr. Halladay says that as soon as the other milis are inïuced to join the combine the rates wpll be raised to the figures of trro yearsago.