Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-05-23
DODGING ANfI-COMBINE LAW
KANSAS GROCERs TO REORGANIZE
THEIR ASSOCIATION.
Important Meeting of the Wholesale
GrOcers In kansas City, at
Which Way Out of DIFF
ficuIty Is Presented.

The wholesale grocers of the Missouri
river cities and of the state of Kansas held
an all day session at the Coates House
yesterday, discussing means for evading
the differentiation measure enacted by
the last Kansas legislature. The act pro-
hihits the making and enforcing of any
fixed rate on goods sold in competition in
the state and provides q penalty of i'm
prisonment with a stin fine attached. 1t
was aimed at the alleged combination of
wholesale grocers and dealers in other sup
plies in the safe and was effective at the
first lick in knocking out of shape the
Wholesale Grocers Association. The eff
fecc OF the legislation was said to be ad-
verse to the cities along the river while
1t was largely to the advantage of the
wholesalers in the interior of the state. 1t
is said to have been quite unsatisfactory
II the trade generally and widespread dis
satisfaction has resulted from it, The
meeting of yesterday was for the purpose
of making some arrangement that would
accomplish the purpose of the dealers
without openly violating the law. There
was large attendance, over forty men
being at the meeting, representing nearly
every wholesaler of Importance in the ter
ritCry who deals in groceries.
The antitrust law passed by the last
legislature of Kansas was such that II in
terfered greatly with the business Of the
wholesalers who were selling trust goods
aud many attorneys advised grocers to re-
frain from any attempted violation. A del
egation of them visited the trust agents
at st. Louis and discussed the mater with
them.
on the agency plan. The trust consigns
its goods TO the wholesaler at certain
points to be disposed of under certain con-
ditiOnS and at certain figures. The whole
saler in turn consigns the goods to the re-
taller in smaller quantities to be disposed
of at not less than certain price. At
tOrEeys said that complying with the con-
ditions rendered wholesalers liable, but
after the most careful investigation II was
decided there was no technical violation,
| as IL was simply the action of an agent
| disposing of goods according to the in
| structions of the owner.
This view of the situation obtained
| among the wholesalers yesterday, and the
| fifteen representatives of the business in
| Kansas decided by a vote of eleven to
| four to reorganize the association. They
| stipulated II was not to control prices, but
| for the general benefit Of the trade The
| association will simply be a reorganization
| of the old association. w. n. Todd, of
Black, of Wichita. will act as secretary.
| They feel that they do not own the
| sugar coffee they sell, but act in dis
| posing of it simply as the agents OF the
| trust, they are not violating the law, either
| in spirit or in fact. The agency dodge Is
| the one. they say, that entirely escapes
| the attention of the law enacted by the
Among the number of grocers from out
Of the city who were at the meeting were:
nard, St. Joseph, Mo; Henry Baden, In
dependence, K2s.; Frank Wood; wichita
Keller, Fort Scott, Kas.; W. \. Todd,
| Leavenworth. Kas.: ]. II. McCord, ST. Jo-
seph. Mo; w. Iakn. Fort Scott, Kas.;
G. G. Parry. st. Joseph, Mo-; A. B. Symns,
Atchison, kas; ]. ]; Pierson, Parsons Has s, ;
Theodore Poehler, Lawrence has' 5. L.
Allan, Arkansas City. Kas.
Nearly all of the local wholesale grocers
had representatives at the conference. w.
T.. Schoeppe. of st. Louis. who is nresi-
dent of the Missouri association of whole
sale grOcers was at the meeting, and took
an important part in the deliberations. Mr.:
TCdd, of Leavenworth, was president Of
the old Kansas state organization up 10 the
time IL went out of business. lie was presi-
ent at the meeting. and was one Of the
foremost spirits I'm its deliberations.