Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1907-01-31
THE POWDER TRUST.
Serious Complaint Made to the
President.


national Smokeless Powder Company
was entered with President Roose-
velt to-day, and inquiry was made as
to why the government has not yet
availed itself of an appropriation of
the last session of Congress for the es-
tablishment of government powder
factory.
The President directed his callers to
consult Navy and War Department of
ficials and lay their case before At
torney General Bonaparte who will be
asked to enter suit in the Unietd States
courts against the trust, charged with
holding the government up for i'm
mense profits, which it uses as basis
to cut prices against independent
powder manufacturers and run them
out Of business.
Representative I,afeau introduced
the delegation to the President. 1t
represented about thirty five indepen-
dent powder concerns, mostly located
in Pennsylvania, and they declare that
the powder trust is cutting prices on
them to run them out of business, not
withstanding it has practically mono
poly on the powder business of the
United States at this time. Thomas J.
Reese, Il. Metzger, w |. Rain, G. w.
Shaffer, w. G. Georgia, r S. Waddell
H. B. Lindsey, w. |. Roller, R. j.
Waters and r. S. Waddell, president
of the Buckeye Powder Company of
Peoria, H., were members of the dele
CATION.
INVENTED BY NAVAL OFFICERS.
The assertion was made to the Presi-
dent that the smokeless powder used
by the Navy Department was invented
by naval officers after the government
had spent million dollars in ex-
periments and furnished the time Of
naval officers for years to do the work;
that the experiments resulted in the
adoption of gelatinized gun cotton by
the Navy Department; that after the
government had made the discovery.
and spent money in the work, mostly
at Indian Head, two of the naval Off
GERS who had been detailed for the
work applied for and received personal
patents; that the officers were provided
with government money, apparatus,
materials and supplies; that during all
the time they were paid salaries by the
government sold their patents in 1899,
and that these patents passed into the
hands of the powder trust, although
license was granted to the government
to manufacture the powder for its own
use.
1t is declared that the discoveries
and developments having been produc-
eJ under the direction of United States
officers for the government, the sole use
and benefit should inure to the govern.
ment and not be supplied to concern
which is charged with selling powder
to foreign governments; with the pat
ents I'd its possession the powder trust
has monopoly Of the business of furn
ishing the government ammunition il
uses for the navy; that its last bid to
the government all the com peting COM
panies making the same bid, was SO
cents pound; that the powder can
easily be made for "a cents a pound:
| and that the net profit to the trust from
its last bid, together with other con-
tracts to the government of the same
kind, is fully $2,0OO,OO0
The independent powder conn mpanies
| charge that they placed the matter be-
fore the Department of Justice last Au
just, and print copy of letter re-
ceiveed in October last from Milton d.
Purdy, acting attorney general, in
which he states that sufficient evidence
has not been produced upon which the
government can proceed for cancella-
tion of the patents. 'It does not ap
pear" said Mr.. Purdy, "that these Off
GERS perpetuated any frauds whatever
in procuring the patents.'
AN APPROPRIATION BY CONGRESS.
The President was informed that
| Congress made an appropriation of
S165, 600 at the last session to establish
| powder factory for the War Depart
ment, bat that nothing had been done.
The delegation urged that the govern
ment appropriate So, 100000 for the es-
I tablishment of three powder factories
in different parts of the country to
make its own powder, and that the De-
partment of Justice institute proceed
ings against the trust under the anti
! trust laws of the country.
Senator Dupont of Delaware, who
was recently elected to the senate from
that state is at the head of one of the
largest companies constituting the
trust and is understood to be one of
the principal stockholders in the trust
The declaration is made that the
powder trust has contraced for plans
to build plant in Brazil to furnish The