The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-07-13
CONDITION OF
 GUAN0 TRADE Combination. But No Trust Found. COMMITTEE SUBMITS REPORT Two Bflls Presented to Legislature
 by Investigators. ,ous ws.lA Ferssa All Trusts h Ala. bana h Future ana the 0tAsf PssAsssts sF1lIssss = Ua-
 asEgraAs ia Isstillsss.

The Fertilizer Committee which has eeen probing into the conduct of the fertilizer business in Alabama submit ted tts report to the Senate yesterday. The report was made to the Senate by ! Senator Y. L. Leith. Chairman of the committee. 4.
 In submitting 1t the walker County Senator brieny reviewed the conditions that exists In the fertilizer trade in Alabama. The committee was not sure that 1t had unearthed . trust accord lng to the legal meaning of the word, au competitors seemed to work under an agreement
 The committee had discovered that the ylrEinia-Carolina Chemical Com pany, Senator. Leith said, belonged to . national organization, for which it had paid an entrance fee of between es.eo0 and $7.ooo. and 1t had foAnd the Sons of Plate to be . peculiar organ nation in which the fertilizer compa- nies paid the dues of their omcers to ret the mysterious bensfits from 1t.
 Senator Leith spoke briefly on the bill which the committee had drawn. Under this bill the sale of so-called "fllers" in fertilizer would be forbid den n Alabama. The bill would re- Iqhirs also that the contents of a suano sack should come up to the analysis printed on the outside of the sack or the purchaser would not be compelled to pay for 1t.
 The report of the committee in full follows:
 ITO the Legislature of Alabama: we. the undersigned Joint Commit tee of fve. composed of two Senators and three Representatives., created by March I. 1907. hereby submit to the Legislature of Alabama the following as our full and complete report of the proceedings had before this commit tee: Sl
 HearA Many Witnesses.
 'This committee met in the city of Montgomery on the 1lth day of April, 1907. and elected Senator M. l. Leith as It's chairman, and summoned vari- ous witnesses to testify as to their knowledge touching the manufacture of fertilizers. and as to whether or not there was any agreement between the fertilizer manufacturers to control the price of fertilizers in the State: and further, the committee had before il witnesses who were engaged in the busjness of what Is known as dry mix ing of fertilizers. and also witnesses who were engaged in crushing cotton seed and manufacturing the by-pro- ducts of the same, and who are known as cotton seed oil mill men. ---s.-'
 After hearing the testimony of quite a number of witnesses. coming from all parts of Alabama, engaged in both the manufacture of fertilizers and of making cotton seed meal, and mixing the finished product. as we'll as the testimony of the consumers of fertili- gers, we ind there Is not what we call an express agreement between the fer tiiiser companies of Alabama and oth- CT States in the South, but an implied agreement to the effect that a certain grade of fertilizer should be sold to the merchant, to be sold to the farmer. for . certain stipulated price.
 We further find from the testimony of the manufacturers, as we'll as from testimony of the, merchants that in most cases the price or the same grade showing some uniformity of action be- tween the fertilizer manufacturers whether an express agreement or not we are unable to tell; but this commit tee believes that there is an agreement between the fertilizer manufacturers of this and other States in the South. by which they can and do absolutely con trol the price of fertilizers.
 We further find that in the Soutf, there is an organization known as the Southern Fertilizer Association, com posed of manufacturers of fertilizers throughout the South, but we find no evidence (and we had no witnesses ex- sept members of that Association) that ihere Is trust of fertilizer manufac- turers in this State but this commit tee believes from all the testimony that (his Association influences and makes It possible for certain large fertilizer manufacturers to control the price of fertilizers in this State.