The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-07

Several real estate men last night
declared they had talked with both
District Attorney LOOfbourow and At
torney General Breeder, and that the
association will make every effort TO
raise the $4,000 needed. The realty
dealers feel that the public, and par
ticularly the restaurant, hotel and
other professional and business men
Immediately interested in the lower
ing of prices for food supplies here.
do not realize the necessity for an in
vestigatiOn fund and the employment
of special counsel. They point out
that merely the fact that the state Of
fcials have no money at their disposal
to collect evidence with and that they
will be absolutely unable to devote all
or possibly even the major portion Of
their time TO the work Of aiding the
grand jury I'm probing the food and
other combines, may result in very lit
tie being done in the way of fndicting
the men responsible for the operation
Of the combines. unless the public
comes forward and supports the state
officials at once.
The Real Estate association fund is
at present about $3.50.
The calling of the grand jury by
Judge Armstrong yesterday will be
received with great satisfaction
throughout Salt Lake.
Will Give Evidence.
Attorney General Breeder said last
night that he was preparing what evil
dence he could before the jury is
charged and goes into session. 1t is
believed that a large amount of evil
dence proving that q combine has and
now exists here among the retail and
wholesale butchers and grocers of this
city for fixing and maintaining prices
and in restraint of trade may be east
ly secured During the past ten days
no less than two dozen Independent
groceTs and meat dealers within the
city limits have told stories of perse-
cutions and threats against them by
the Butchers & GrOcers' association
because they refused to sell their
goods at prices dictated and fixed by
the officers of that association, and
becaUses they refused to join that as
ISOLATION. A score of Independent
dealers have declared they are willing
to give evidence that the doors of the
wholesale and iobbing grocery and
ment houses of salt Lake have been
closd against them because they re-
fused to join the Butchers & GrOceTs'
association or sell their goods at prices
dictated by that association.
Three or four men have declared
they were forced out of business be
cause they could not get goods Of the
local wholesalers. Local restaurant
prOprietors declare that morning after
morning they have called up every
wholesale and jObbing grocer in town
and priced certain articles of food sup
ply TO find every house quoting them
exactly the same prices, which in nine
cases out of ten would vary materially
from the prices of the day before.
Wilson's Case.
]. w. Wilson, an independent grocer
and butcher located across the street
from the entrance TO the state fair
grounds on Ninth West street, fur
nishes one Of the best cases of evil
dence of the operation of the cOmbina-
ton existing among the retail and
wholesale grOcers here. Wilson de-
clares that he viii go before a grand
Jury to make oath that a representa-
tive Of one of the largest wholesale
grocery houses in Salt Lake came to
him after he had opened his independ-
ent store and had refused to join the
Butchers & GrOcers' association or sell
his goods at their prices, and told him
that unless he did sell at the assOcia,-
ton prices he could get no more goods
of the wholesalers, and that the goods
would be taken from his shelves and
the doors of his store closed" Wilson
refused TO divulge the name Of the
man who visited him or the local firm
he represented, claiming he would do
that only in the presence Of a grand
jury. Wilson says he is also ready to
swear that all the merchants operat-
ing stores in his neighbOrhoOd who are
members of the Butchers q Grocers'
association cut prices on him in order
to drive him out of business
Continued on Page 2.