New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1892-06-08
FIGHTING A GREAT COMBINE
That is What the BONN Manpfac acting Com
pany Says it is Doing.
Shipments to New Ulm Figure in the Case
Now before the Courts.

The case of the 1Bohn Manufacturing
Company against the Northwestern
Lumberman's Association is being tried
this week in the District court in st.
Paul. If fought to the end it will be a
leading case on the legal points involved.
The far reaching effects that decision
of these points will have in the business
world is attracting general attention out
side of legal circles and among business
not directly interested in the lumber trade.
The legality Of associating Or combining
to enhance the price of accommodates, to
increase the profits of a business or to
restrict trade and commerce, is raised as
the case are that the defendant associa-
ton is composed of retail lumber dealers
through the Northwest as active members
and of wholesale dealers and manufac-
turers as honorary members. In case
wholesaler should sell a bill of goods to
a customer, contractor or retail lumber
dealer other than members of the associa-
ton, the wholesaler is requested to pay
into the Northwestern Lumbermen's as
ISOLATION 10 per cent Of the total amount
of the bill. # this is refused then all OF
the members Of the association are mott
fed that the offending wholesaler or
manufactured is not ''sympathy' with the
association, and forthwith no orders are
received by it. The association includes
a LARGE number of retail dealers as active
members and many wholesale dealers as
honorary members.
The Bohn Manufacturing company sold
two bills of goods to consumers and re-
fused to pay the 10 per cent commission
demanded by the ASSOCIATION. When it
was threatened that it would be ''black-
isted'' by the association it appealed to
the courts.
One of the letters sent by the Associa-
ton to the independent firm was as fol-
lows:
I am obliged to write you regarding
the two complaints which have been LODI
ged with me for shipments made by you
to consumers at New Ulm and Worthing-
ton, MINI. The Worthington complaint
was received Oct. 3 and the New Ulm
claim on Oct. 80, since which dates I
have written you several times and the
only answer have been able to elicit
from you has been that you would in
vestigate the cases and report later More
than sixty days having now been allowed
in which you have had ample opportun-
ity and time to say whether you will adj
just these cases or not, and my instruc-
tons from our board of directors at it's
last meeting being to wait a reasonable
time for you to say what you
would do, and failing to arrive
at any settlement to report your
names to our members as setting to con-
sinners I have now to say that my pa |
tience in the matter has been exhausted,
and consider your silence to mean that
you do not care to adjust the claims, and
that you are no longer in sympathy with
our association. I am about to send out
some regular notices to our members, and
unless I should hear favorably from you
on these matters, and with some action
more positive than simple statement
that you would investigate, shall carry
out the instructions of the board of direc-
tors and include yotir maine in the report.
You understand that we are SOON to have
our annual meeting, at which time I ex-
pect some three hundred or more of our
members to be present. Those of them
who have made claims against your are
likely to do some talking, ami coming at
a time when everybody is interested, is
not liable to do you any good.
Trial Of Professor Briggs.
II 14ol I,