Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-04-27
BROWNS SUIT CALLED ROT
Attorney Generals Attack on Lumbsrmsn
Charged as Political Play.
0. c. BRADFORD SAYS THERE IS NO TRUST
His Firm IL Named as one Defend
ant ana IL Not, re Asserts,
Member Of the As
sociation.

"Tms agitation against the Nebraska
Lumber Dealers association is nothing but
bunc. I am not ready to say positively
that Norris Brown Is not sincere for It
may be that he Is but II looks very much
as though HIS attack on the lumber men is
for political effect. AS a play TO the people
It will be Of great value to him IL the case
can be dragged out in the courts until
after the next senatorial campaign, as no
doubt II can"
Such were the sentiments expressed by
D. c. Bradford, president OF the Bradford
Kennedy Lumber company. when asked
concerning the action OF Attorney General
Norris Brown in securing from Judge Let
ton Of the supreme court a temporary re-
straining order against the members of the
association TO prevent them from combin-
ing TO control prices and to prevent the
officers from burning the records. The
Bradford Kennedy company is named
among the defendants.
Not Member of AssOcfation.
Il say this from an unbiased standpoint"
continued Mr.. Bradford. II am not with
the association or with Norris Brown. Al
though this firm is one Of the defendants
in the case according to the daily press.
Il is not a member OF the association. Sew
erai other firms mentioned in the petition
are not members. This firm and the others
are mentioned in the records and the cir
culars Of the association as honorary mem
bers.' What constitutes honorary member
ship do not know unless It is that every
firm which advertises in the associations
circulars is placed on the list by way OF
courtesy. II is certain the association has
arbitrarily and without authority used the
names OF numerous dealers as honorary
H.
in The Bee is correct Norris Brown has
simply taken the names OF members and
honorary members OF the association.
Many dealers, among whom are the Dietz
Lumber company and the Updike Lumber
and Coal company, are marked in the cir
cuiars Of the association as nonmembers.
and they are not named in the petition.
Nothing but Rot.
at is nothing but rot. There is no
lumber trust and nothing that approaches
a control Of prices, unless perhaps agree
ments have been made in some towns
between local dealers. We are ex-
periencing cut-throat competition with
members of the association and nom
members alike. For instance, at Auburn
and Ogalalla, the competition is so fierce
that business cannot be done at a profit.
At the latter place, we do not name the
price at which our agent can sell lumber.
We tell him what It cost and let him do
the best he can. William Paxton wanted
TO build a church for Ogalalla and asked
me to quote him prices. told him 1
would give him $50 for the church IL
he would buy the lumber from the other
fellow.
Originally the object of the association
was to prevent the big wholesalers from
selling to small jobbers in Omaha and
South Omaha, who sold direct to the con-
sumner out in the state. The association
threatened to boycott wholesalers who
supplied goods to such dealers.
"Since the members have come to realize
that they cannot get any results along
this line, they have made no attempt to
control trade in any way. They come
TO the meetings OF the association be-
cause they AFFORD a good time in Omaha
or Lincoln once a year They meet royal
good fellows, they are the guests OF the
wholesalers. and they have a bully time.
"All the meetings of the association are
open to the public If there were any
such combination as mentioned, / think
we, in the same business, outside Of the
association, would be the first to know
it."