Show THE TOY TRUST Octopus Reaching for tho Dolls and tho Hobby Horses From the Chicago RecordHerald Advices from New York convey the Information that the octopus has dropped steel rails gum shoes and bicycles bi-cycles long enough to fasten Its long tentacles about the Christmas tree I had already reached to the toes of the little stockings that are hung from tho mantelpiece as receptacles for Christmas Christ-mas sweetmeats From the candy trust Santa Claus Is now brought face to face with a toy trust The flaxonhalrcd doll that gazes down from the rom topmost bough of the Christmas tree upon the radiant face of the little tot who has been waiting wait-ing for it must wear the trust ta Hobyhoisca wagons carts and chO choo cars are all to be gobbled up in the capacious maw of the new octopus Details of tho big consolidation wired from New York disclose agreements for combining thirty toy manufactories which turn out 05 per cent of all the toys sold in this country the value of which amounts to about 7000000 annually nually In the plans for eliminating competition it is reported lat all the hobbyhorses will be made hi one fuc tory nil thu dolls In another and tho mechanical toya In another A few years ago the bacteriologists advised us to boll the toys Sterilizing them detracted much from their beauty and usefulness Now wo are Informed that they aro to be controlled by a trust The bewhiskered Jackinthe box and the sadeyed shccplo with wheels on Its feet are In the cold and clammy grip of the octopus But it Is to late for the benevolent purpose of this consolidation to cast a I glom over the corning Christmas cheer By the time the next Christmas comes around the toy trust may have beer smashed into smithereens |