The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-07-20
EYES ON TEN
BIG TRUSTS
Uncle Sam Still Looking Into
Combines
STEEL AND STEAMSHIPS
Another Report Coming as to Meth,
DDS Of Standard Oil Powder
Trust Prosecution Is Now
Promised.

Washington, p. q, Iuly 2a,--The
shutters have been put up il all the OH
ees Of trust inquiry, although the July
exodus from official Washington is al
most universal A few delivers remain.
When the cool autumn comes again
more disclosures d trust inquiries are
promised, with convenient release dates
on the outer pamphlet pages
The bureau Of corporations is doing
most Of the midsummer delying. Its
agents, Of number unknown are seoar-
ing the country. They are doing IN
another way kind ii work that the
industrial commission did decade ago.
The present inquiries are generally
more secret. Special agents 30 out to
the producers and consumers. They pro.
cure information from willing witness
e or wrest it from men by detective
methods, as occasion may require, They
arc still scouting for information about
the lumber TRISTAN inquiry that Is
nearly nationwide.
| The Standard Oil inquiry Is still under
way AZ the bureau, Another exhaus-
tive report the third to be made public
lis expected before many days. II will
bear on the prices and the profits Of the
Oil business.
Later there win be a report on an in.
yestigation Of uew oil fields in the In
terror OF the country and in California
/ Agents Of the department are vet N
Europe, Africa and the Orient studying
the oil trade. A report On the opera
tions Of the STANDARD Oil company in
those distant markets may be ready be-
for Congress assemblies.
All told, the bureau OF corporations Is
1 pegging away At 10 trust inquiries
I They effect lumber and oil. as stated.
\ tobacco steel, harvesters, coastwise
traffic, canals, cotton exchanges, patents
and telegaphs. Several of these in
quiries ate being conducted at the in
stance OF Congress.
Attl-Gen. Bonaparte is expected to
prosecute the harvester trust, and on
that account the search for facts about
that combination Is now being pushed
1 aggfessiNely.
4 Commissioner Smith recently visited
I Chicago, where his agent are said 20
have ascertained that John d. Rookie
Teller has S50,000000 invested in that
enterprise for manufacturing 81 agri-
cultural machinery and controlling the
price therefor
The steel trust with capitalization
\ Of 4 billion dollars, and with mills and
\ factories that cost hundreds Of millions
I 10 build, has been immune from govern
ment attacks The bureau Of corpor
! atiuns, however, Is after information
about It's operations
/ The inquiries about the coastWise
I traffic and about canals have been in
progress for many months. The search
/ is emphasizing the ownership OF these
means Of water transportation by the
railroads to an unexpected degree The
tramp steamers have been given a hard
4 fight by the railroads
/ Coastwise steamship lines are rail
! rcad-owned in New England, along the
three Pacific Coast states, from main
land ports to the isthmus OF Panama,
end also on the Great Lakes.
The patent inquiry is Of considerable
interest in Congress where the demands
for larger army and navy appropriations
\ are pressing. The smokeless powder
patents. which were developed at govern
ment expense by Rear Admiral Con
Verse, 4 Nwmonter, now on the retired
list; and Capt Benadou, after long in
designations ut Newport, r, j. have
I passed to the powder trust, which the
department Of justice has decided to
! prosecute
Those officers sold the rights, sub
iect only to a provision that the navy
might manufacture smhkeless for It's
own use. That is supposed to shut out
the war department Independent cont
lpanies are now excluded from bidding
on government powder contracts.
\ The investigation must be completed
lbefore the next session OF Congress adj.
ioufns They will figure in the cam.
paign, az trusts and trust prosecutions
Twill be q prominent feature of that con.
test.
The great man Of the trust busting
world OF Washington, Milton ID. Burdy,
assistant to the attorney general, has
locked the door Of his office and hied
ID Europe Papers in al trust prosecu-
tions pass through bis hands before
reaching the attorney general or the
President.