Arizona republican., 1906-10-27
THE DEALERS COMPACT
 LAID BARE BY GUEST
lie Told How Iowa Prices of Grain Were
 Manipulated
Interstate Commerce Commissioner Lane Tried to Make the Secretary of the Association Admit That He Was a

Des Moines. Oct Sensational in cidehts marked the offering of testi- mony before the Interstate Commerce Commission in session here today rel atiVe to the fixing of prices for grain by the Des Moines Cereal club for members of the State Grain Dealers association and the pooling of the ele- vator business at many Iowa points. After several members of the cereal club had testified that they could not remember that the organization had ever voted t0 fix prices for grain R. w Harper took the stand and testi- fled that as guest of the club he had often attended its banquets and meet ings which were held at the Grant club weekly and that after a discus sion of prices the vote of the meeting was taken on a motion by the presid- ing officer Geo. A. Wells. secretary of the Grain Dealers association. the sense of the members and expressed by lifted hands. as a basis for quotations for the ensuing week to be furnished to members of the association by Ward C. Case of this city
 Commissioner Lane of the Interstate
 
 bers of the cereal club, who had tes- tified that prices were not fixed at meetings oi the organization, an oppor- tunity to amend their testimony, after which Mir. Harper left the stand.
 Secretary Wells took the stand and said that he had intended to testify that he had not put motions of that character at every meeting of the club and was about to proceed with further amendments when Commissioner Lane leaning quickly over his desk. created a sensation by the inquiry didn't you try to mislead the commission on that point"
 Mir Wells said that he had not
 Why did you testify as you did ?" continued Mir. Lane. did you not try to create the impression in the commissioners mind that there was no fixing of prices and that nothing was done to fix prices at these meetings Didn't you do that?~
 Mr- Wells insisted that he had not done so.
 Was not that your distinct effort in answer to the questions2' persisted MT. Lane.
 NO. sir" replied MT. Wells.
 Didn't you in every way try to evade and avoid answering the ques- t4oiiS or MT MarDle tune commission & lawyer) put to you at the time when you were asked in regard to the fixing of prices 9"
 MT. Wells started to make some ex- planation when he was dismissed from the stand.
 Ward c. Case who was said to fur nish the price card to members of the association of grain dealers. was called to the stand and interrOgated in detail with respect to the cards. He was not certain about much of the information he disclosed and denied any arrange ment with the cereal club.
 The testimony in the hearing today was to the effect that the grain deal CTS association is picking a fight against the farmers elevator. which is not g member of the association. by restricting it's terminal market when possible; that extensive pooling ar engagements have existed and now ex- ist in Iowa, which control the amount of business done by competing eleva- tors; that the prices of the regular elevators are governed more or less by a card issued here by Ward c. Case; that this card formerly was the result