STEEL TRUST INQUIRY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 49, 16 July 1912, Page 7

STEEL TRUST INQUIRY.

A SCOTSMAN'S HUMOR. The Steel Trust enquiry in New York on May 30 was enlivened by a whiff of Highland humor when John Stevenson, a witty Scotsman, "as canny as Carnegie," described how his tinplate company went into the gigantic Steel Trust, how he had beaten the keen American promoters on their own field, and how generally he had upheld the Scotsman's reputation for smart dealing and commercial success. Mr. Stevenson, who speaks with his native burr, made millions as a pioneer of the tinplate industry in the United States, and still retains his millions, but, just to keep out of mischief, he had started a n?.w enterprise at Sharon, Peim=- v lvania.

Witness lifted the curtain on big business methods. He described a scene at a Cleveland hotel when the members of the wire pool met to fix prices. They were all in the room, he said, and agreed to fix the price of wire nails at (is a keg. While the meeting was in progress Frank Kackes of the American Tin Plate Company, excused himself for a moment. "I followed him doonstairs." said Mr. Stevenson, "and, wud ye believe it, the telegraph girl mistook me for him, and, showing me a despatch tbe laddie had just written, asked me what one of the words was. That man had brukken his pledge even then, and was wiring his concern to make the price of nails five and sixpence." "And what did you do?" "I was vairy mooch pit oot, so I wired my company to meet this cut, and then I took his despatch up to the meeting and laid it before the others." He added, with a broad smile, "TCaekes was fined, and the chairman told me to kick him doonstairs." "And did you?" "No; he were too big a lad," said Mr. Stevenson, regretfully. Witness then told of how the "same old crood" kept coming after him, until he sold out practically all his interests, in return for which he took some American tinplate stock, and then he came over to New York, and went abroad for a good time. •{< *'.■ Asked what lie did on his return, he said: "Wull, I began to slick the oold apple-tree again. I wanted somewhat to do to keep me busy. I didna want to look about, ye see. I were getting along in years, and didna want to be like a lot of other puir steel boys who come to New- Y-ork and get in a lot of trouble. There were too many pretty chorus-girls in New York. One of tbe boys got married to a chorus-girl, and 1 others got in other kinds of trouble," he added. Speaking about the success of a certain business competitor, Mr. Stevenson said he was as "sooksessful as a lawyer." " '"What'do' you mean?" asked counsel. "I mean." said the witness, drily, "as sooksessful in stealing like a lawyer." The Court, which was composed chiefly of lawyers, was kept in a roar of laughter during Mr. Stevenson's testimony. He deserves credit as tbe first man to appear before the Court who could infuse a laugh into the dry facts of the Steel Trust.