The Washington times., 1906-06-15
ANOTHER COMBINE
IS HELD UP TO
THE PUBLIC VIEW
Fertilizer Trust Indicted
by United States
Grand Jury.
ALLEGED TO BE OCTOPUS
Controls the Business in the
Country With Hundred
Million Capital.

The fertilizer trust will be investigated
by the Department of Justice. on the
charge Of violating the Sherman anti
trust law.
In making this attack, the Admins
tration is assailinE a combination that
IN the extent OF it's capital is bigger
than the Standard OIL Corporation The
enormous amount of S1OO.0O0Oo0 IS the
approximate sum represented by the
combined concerns in the Fertilizer
trust against which the Government IS
proceeding.
Corporations Indicted.
A few days ago the grand jury in the
United States circuit court for the
middle district Of Tennessee returned an
indictment against the Virginia-Carolina
Chemical Company ct al. The company
is a corporation with a capital OF S5O.-
OO0.0O0 incorporated under the laws OF
the State of New Jersey. With il in the
gigantic fertilizer combine are allied
large number of other corporations.
Thirty-One corporations in all are made
defendants in the indictment, and
twenty-five individuals and firms.
Many Companies in Net.
the eastern and southeastern States, and
run as far west as Chicago. Armour
& Co. and Swift & Co. of Chicago are
included in the list Of defendants.
against which indictment is returned. A
large amount Of New York capital is
represented in the combination. Aside
from the corporations named there are
the following in the list Of defendants:
Acme Manufacturing Company, Of North
Carolina; Alabama Chemical Company,
Of New Jersey; Anderson Phosphate
and Oil Company. of South Carolina;
AshepoO Fertilizer Company. Of South
Carolina; BIackshear Manufacturing
Company, Of Georgia; Etiwan Fertilizer
Company. of South Carolina; Federal
Chemical Company. OF Delaware; Fed
eraI Chemical Company, OF Kentucky;
the Furman Farm Implement Company
of Georgia; Goulding Fertilizer Com
pany Limited. Of Great Britain and Ire
land; Goulding Fertilizer Company, Of
Florida; the GulPort Cotton Oil, Fertil-
izer and Manufacturing Company, of
Georgia; the Home Mixture Guano Com
pany, OF Georgia: the Jackson Fertilizer
Company, OF Mississippi; the Marietta
Fertilizer Company, of Georgia; Merid-
ian Fertilizer Company. Of Mississippi;
National Fertilizer Company, of Ten
nessee; New Orleans Acid and Fertilizer
Company, of New Jersey; the Old Dom
inion Guano Company, Of Georgia;
Planters Chemical Company. Of Ala
hama; Read Phosphate Company, OF
West Virginia; F. S. Royster Guano
Company. Of Virginia; Savannah Guano
Company, Of Georgia: Southern States
Phosphate and Fertilizer Company. of
Chemical nj
Company, OF Alabama; Tennessee Val
ley Fertilizer Company. of Alabama.
Additional to these are certain firms and
individuals.
Six Counts in Indictment.
There are six counts in the Indictment
Four counts are for alleged violations OF
the Sherman antitrust law and two
are for conspiracy under section $40 Of
the Revised Statutes The penalty for
violation of the Sherman law IS a 5000
fine and one year Imprisonment. The
maximum nenalty for conspiracy Is a
fine OF $4,000. and imprisonment for two
years.
The operations of the fertilizer com
bine have been confined TO North Caro-
lima, South Carolina. Georgia, Florida,
Mississippi, Arkansas. Alabama and
Tennessee. The fertilizer trust sold in
the eight States named about 1,7OO, 900
tons of fertilizer each year and by
reason OF the combination was enabled
10 charge from $3.50 TO 81 per ton more
than the price would otherwise have
been, thus mulcting the farmers and
planters out Of from 81. .000, 900 10 s.. .0OO,- =
600 a year more than would have been
eXacted from them in payment OF fer
tiliZer unaffected by the operations OF a
combine
Already Has Good Effect.
IT Is declared the effect Of the pros
ecution is already manifested in the
dropping of the price of fertilizer in the
eight States mentioned by from 50 to 50
per ton.
A Trick of Combine.
One of the interesting features Of the
operations of the alleged combine was
the organization Of the Colonial Devel-
opment Company. limited. under the
laws of the province Of Ontario. Can
ada. This corporation acted as the in
termediary in the adjustment Of the
relations between the different members
of the combination. 1t collected and
distributed funds arising from pay
ments on account of excessive sales by
small sales by others 1t served 10
keep the affairs OF the trust evenly ad-
tusted as between the different corpora
Utons and firms connected with it
In case the Government wins the con-
test, undoubtedly large fines will be as
ses@ed- 1t is not expected the case will
come 70 trial until October, in the fall
term Of court.
IT,