Flint Glass Bottle Combination

FLINT GLASS BOTTLE COMBINATION.

The combination of flint bottle manufacturers, which was announced some time ago but which was given a backset owing to the war scare, is now rapidly developing and present indications point to a successful termination of the scheme.

At the meeting which was held in Pittsburgh three weeks ago the outlines of the combination were formed along the lines of the American Glass Co. It now develops that the work of forming the combination, under the auspices of the American Flint Bottle Manufacturers' Association, has not been dropped for a minute since the resolution was first adopted to combine. The association has been formed into a syndicate and an agent has been at work for several weeks getting options on all the flint bottle plants in the country and with the exception of the plant of the Illinois Glass Co., at Alton, Ill., all large factories have been optioned. This firm is in sympathy with the movement and will act in harmony with the combination but are prevented from becoming a party to the syndicate by the trust laws of the state of Illinois. The agent of the syndicate is A. C. Park, of New York, who engineered the bringing of the wire nail manufacturers into a syndicate. The only plants which have not been optioned are a few non-union concerns. A meeting of the promoters of the scheme was held last Friday at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York but owing to the fact that representatives of all the firms in the syndicate were not present no business of importance was transacted. The meeting adjourned subject to the call of Mr. Park. Another meeting will be held in the near future as the options expire on October 1, which fact will necessitate prompt action if anything is to be accomplished.

Among the factories on which options have been secured, are those of W. H. Hamilton & Co., and J. T. & A. Hamilton, of this city; Agnew & Co., Hulton; California Glass Co., California, Pa.; C. L. Flaccus Glass Co., Tarentum; Everett Glass Co., Everett, Pa.; Fidelity Glass Co., Tarentum, Pa.; H. C. Fox & Sons, Philadelphia; Glenshaw Glass Co., Sharpsburg, Pa.; Kane Flint Bottle Co., Kane, Pa.; Point Bottle Works, Rochester, Pa.; Saltsburg Bottle Works, Saltsburg, and Avonmore, Pa.; Tibby Bros., Sharpsburg, Pa.; Bellaire Bottle Works, Bellaire, O.; Anderson Flint Bottle Co., Anderson, Ind.; Canton Glass Co., Marion, Ind.; Chicago Bottle Works, Frankton, Ind.; Dunkirk Bottle Works, and Dunkirk Flint Glass Works, Dunkirk, Ind.; Hemingray Glass Co., and Muncie Glass Co., Muncie, Ind.; Marion Flint Glass Co. Marion, Ind.; Nevison & Weiskopf, Elwood, Ind.; Pennsylvania Glass Co., Anderson, Ind.; Sims Glass Co., Sims, Ind.; Sneath Glass Co., Hartford City, Ind.; and the Obear-Nestor Glass Co., East St. Louis, Ill. Those which have not been optioned are but a small percentage of the number of factories, and their output is so limited that it will not figure to any great extent in the general market.

The plan of the combination is to close down all the factories which are expected to operate, and only the well equipped and those which can be run cheaply will be operated. An agency will be established either in Pittsburgh, and through this agency all the business of the combine will be transacted. C. H. Beach, of Pittsburgh, is president of the Manufacturers' Association, and is putting forth great efforts to succeed in the plan of combination.

The progress thus far made may account to some extent for the refusal of the flint bottle manufacturers to make a wage settlement with the workers in this city last week. Since it has been learned that the scheme for the consolidation has progressed so far the workers are given to the belief that the manufacturers want no settlement of the wages until the result of this effort to combine is made known.