Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-06-20
NONOPOL.IES IN
RESTRAIN OF TRADE
Hamburg-American Packet Co. is
Charged With Maintain
ing Them.

Washington June t0,--'rhe nterstat to
commerce commission today decided TO
institute a proceeding OF inquiry and
Investigation into the affairs OF the
neutrality-suspicious. Packet company.
which is charged by Peter Wright &
Sons, general agents at Philadelphia. of
The Cosmopolitan shipping company
and the Cosmopolitan lines with pooling
and maintaining monopolies In restraint
OF trade. The inquiry Is expected 10
he one of the most stupendpus over un
dertaken and Of a character different
from any that ever before has engaged
The attention OF the commission.
SCOPE OF INQUIRY.
The Inquiry will have to deal with an
alleged combination between railroads
in the United States and the German
shipping concerns. and therefore inter
ests every American producer. manu-
factprer or shipper aspiring 10 intro
duCo mis- goods 10 foreign consumers.
According to the complaint on which
action was taken by the commission,
the Hamburg American Packet COM
pany has built up a complete monopoly
OF the eastbOund traffic, originating in
Chicago, ST. Louis, Kansas City, Oma-
ha., Minneapolis. Duluth, Cleveland and
other manufacturing centers of the
United States intended for interior ports
or places on the continent of Europe.
The complaint reviews what IL claims
to be unfair methods In Sitting compe-
bitten.
| The Cosmopolitan Shipping company
| of Philadelphia. which figures as the
| complainant. operates lines to Rotter-
dam. Leith and Copenhagen. The charg-
es allege that an iTonclad trust in trans
| atlantic freight carrying exists be-
| tween the Hamburg 4 merican Packet
company. the North German-Llayd
| Scandinavian-Ame line ana the
| Wilson (HulD line and that this pool
| appOrtlons the volume of traffic each
| of .sts members shall carry, and from
what port or ports each line shall make
| it's sailings. thus Involving the appor-
! tionment OF traffic originating In vest
| ern Cities-both as 10 character and
! abouni-bctween the cities of the north
Atlantic seaboard.
AN INTERNATIONAL QUESTION.
In charging that the Hamburg Amer
lean Packet company in Its almost abso-
| Lutte control of eastbound and west
bound traffic between interior points
of The United States and Hamburg is Il
! monopoly in restraint OF trade, the com
planning company raises an interna'
| tlunal question. The allegation is made
| thai a foreign corporation backed by
the German government dictates terms
routes and RACES 70 shippers all over
the United states. who forward goods
TO Baltic ports. dlNerts TO and from
American ports at It's own win. with
out regard 10 the natural iiow of trade
aud uses coerclve and unlawful meth
DDS 10 crush competition.
The statement filed by Potter Wright
& Sons says the Cosmopolitan freight
services have no desire 70 suppress
legitimate competition, aud adds;
owe therefore do not seek to have
amellorated any Of the conditions which
fair competition may impose. We do
believe. however, that pooling combn-
ations and intimdatlOns. the laiter II
certain instances approachingN black
mail. even under the senblanee Of com
petition. arc not legitimate forms OF
competition. Pooling combinations and
intmidatlons IN their worst forms have
been encountered recently by the cos
mop0litan services, These axe The un
lawful conditions. masqucradlns under
the guise of competition, which II rs on
purpose 20 endeavor 10 place before
your honorable commission IN con-
else and chronological form"
CHARGES SUMMED UP.
The charges are summed up as fol-
lows!
ket company is a monopoly IA restraint
OF trade. exercising through itA con
tracts the power TO control traffic. hotf
eastbound ana westbOuud, between
Hamburg aud Interior cities In the
United states. and 10 determine rates
aud routes Of such traffic,
3 That the baltic pool OF which
me HAMBURG American Picket COM
pallv rs the controlling factor Is q
combine IA restraint Of trade, diftatlng
the per cent ~ traffic from interior
olties OF the United states 10 Bait,
ports. which ahull tloW through each