The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-06
NUTS TO CRACK.
Attorney General Hands a re"
to MiIlers Trust.
State Wants Lot Of Pertinent
Things.
HAS TWO BRANCHES.
One Set of Questions Directed
Each of Them.
Applies Directly to Organization
in Southwest.
HAS TWO BRANCHES

Judge Wilson of the Sedgwick
county district court has fixed August
% as the date upon which he will
hear the application of the state TO
file Intermediates for the alleged mill
lers' trust to answer. John s Daw-
son and Charles d. Shukers, assistant
attorney generals will go to Wichita
on that date to appear for the state.
The interrogatories in this anti
trust case are for the same purpose as
the interrogatories in the Standard
Oil and Harvester trust cases, name
w 10 save the time and expense or
taking dispositions. The only diHer-
ence is that the millers case is In the
district court and the other cases IN
the supreme court The interroga-
tories are propounded under the new
law enacted at the last session OF the
legislature.
been prepared in the millers case, one
directed to F. D. Stevens and the
Southwestern Bureau of Information,
which is supposed to be a subsidiary
branch of the trust" and other set
directed to Geo. H. Hunter. president
and F. d. Stevens. secretary, of the
Southern Kansas Millers' Commercial
club.
1t is the object of the interrogation
exists between the two organizations,
and what the purpose of the organi-
cations is as claimed by their own Of
ficials. There are "a interrogatories
propounded for the Millers CONNER
cial club, and So for the Information
bureau.
Questions the MilIers Must Answer.
A sample of the very direct and al
most personal inquiries made of the
Millers' Commercial club is as fol-
lows:
state if there is not a practice
among the members of said club to re-
Duke and reproach each other for vio-
lating any understanding or agree
ment in regard to prices to be paid
for wheat or in regard to prices to be
charged for -four. bran. shorts meal
or chop with the state of Kansas.
state if at meetings of the South
ern Kansas AIillers' Commercial club
or at meetings of the officers or MEM
bers thereof the practice of cutting
from prevailing prices is not discour
aged and deprecated.
state If it has occurred at meetings
OF members of the said club that GER
tain members have accused each other
of bad faith and of cutting from pre-
vailing prices in violation of tacit
understandings between the members
of said club. -
''Is not the defendant F. D. Stevens
employed by the said club, it's officers
and members for the purpose of being
common meQlum OF mmun1c3tiOn
between the members of said club in
their business deals and transa ctions.
state If the defendant F. D. Stew
ems complies any reports from the
members of said club and therefrom
prepares a circular letter to each of
the members of said club.
state if the defendant F. D. Stew
ems in any such circular letter to the
members of said club advises the
members of the club of the prevailing
nTiCRS in ma RI Of ho cfo 70 Of
sas on flour, bran, shorts, meal or
chop.
state If the defendant, F. d. Stew
ems in any such weekly circular letter
to the members of said club either di-
rectly or by inference suggests or rec
ommends to the above named defend
ants the maintenance of prices of mill
products.
State if in any such circular letter
the defendant, F. D. Stevens, depre-
Gates and discourages cutting from the
prevailing prices in any part of the
state of Kansas on flour, bran shorts,
meal and chop.
In the southern half of the state of
Kansas and particularly along the line
of the Atchison. Topeka & Santa Fe
railway are not millers who do not be-
long to said club classed by members of
said club and by the officers thereof and
particularly by F. d. Coburn, as ir-
regular. cutters and disreputable
rs it not a fact that by covert in |
nuendo and insinuation or by open
accusation, the officers and members of !
said club charge and insinuate that |
millers who do not belong to said club |
cell to customers within the state OF /
Kansas by short weights and sell with |
in the state of Kansas inferior articles |
and products of wheat, -four, bran, |
meal and chop?
do not the members of this club |
snd the officers of this club classify the |
mills belonging to members of this club |
IS standard mills?'
Questions For Information Bureau.
Some of the questions asked of the
secretary of the informal ton bureau
which is supposed to be the Kansas
branch of a sort of national organization
of millers, are as follows:
do the members of or participants in
the southwestern bureau of information
al their meetings or through correspon-
dence with the said bureau or its Off
GERS or employees or any of them discuss
the advisability of shutting down the
mills for a number OF days on account 4
of the local prices of wheat being out of
harmony with the wheat markets of the
world or any of them
Have there been any meetings of the
members or patrons of the southwestern
bureau Of information wherein 1t was
decided by vote or agreement that |
the mills of the members or patrons of l.
either said bureau or said club OF eithe
Of them should be shut down for a num-
Der of days. and that the members or