The Cycle Age and Trade Review, Vol 25, No 129
Articles in this issue
- The wire plant of R.H. Wolff & Co. was acquired by the Washburn Wire Co., while production of the Wolff-American bicycle was to continue under the old name with plans added to manufacture a line of popular-priced automobiles.
- The Stockton Manufacturing Co. of Newark was placed in receivership with liabilities of about $50,000, the company having been overwhelmed by the heavy expense of introducing its new coaster brake even though the product was selling well and orders continued to come in.
- Canada proposed raising its British preferential tariff from 25 to 33-1/3 percent, but trade figures showed that the existing preference had failed to divert Canadian trade from the United States to Britain, with U.S. exports to Canada actually jumping from $61 million to $93 million since the preferential tariff was introduced.
- Two men believed to represent bicycle rack patent holder Calkins appeared in the Chicago suburb of Austin demanding $5 royalties from merchants with common upright racks in front of their stores, prompting angry merchants to discuss combining to make a court test of the matter.
- The royalty dispute between inventor Willard Farrow and the Eclipse Bicycle Co. over the Morrow automatic coaster brake and coaster device was argued before the District of Columbia court of appeals for the third time, following two prior equity court decisions in Farrow's favor.
- Buffalo dealers described how cut-price sales by non-traditional retailers had demoralized the regular cycle trade by convincing the public that standard high-grade machines could be had at bargain prices, while purchasers of the cheap goods were discovering their tires wore through after a week's use.
- The Cycle Age reported that the Snyder company's expected answer in the A.B.C. bottom bracket patent suit at Utica would reveal little of the Cycle Trades Protective Association's defense strategy, while noting the suit's broad implications for the entire independent bicycle manufacturing trade.
- Considerable activity among bicycle jobbers in the northwest and unusually strong sundries sales led dealers to believe the 1900 season would show larger numbers than a year earlier, with twin city jobbers placing second orders as manufacturers readied new stock.
- Leading eastern business houses launched a movement to secure passage of the Cullom amendment to the interstate commerce law, which was particularly praised for its provision requiring uniform freight rate classifications across all carriers.