The San Francisco call., 1907-06-20
Hamburg American Packet Line
Under lnterstatss Board Fire
Shippers in This Country Said to Be
Under Whip of Foreigners

WASHINGTON, June Is.-The inter-
state commerce commission decided 10
day to institute an investigation in;o
tne affairs OF the Hamburg-American n
packet company. which is charged ~
Feler Wright & Sons. general agents
= Philadelphia OF the CosmopoIitan
shipping company and the Cosmopoli-
tan INES, with pooling and maintain
ING monopolies in restraint Of trade
ne inquiry is expected to be one ot
lne most stupendous ever undertaken
and OF character different from any
mat has ever before engaged the az
tention Of the commission
The inquiry viii have TO deal with an
alleged combination between railroads
IN the United States and the Germa n
shipping concern. and therefore inter
ests every American producer. manu-
tacturer or shipper aspiring TO intro
ouce his goods to foreign consumers.
According to the complaint on which
action was taken by the commission.
the Hamburg-Ame-ican packet COM
pany has built UP a complete monopoly
OF the east bound traffic originating
m Chicago, St Louis. Kansas City.
Omaha. Minneapolis. Duluth. Cleveland
and other manufacturing centers Of the
United States and intended for in
terror ports or places on the continent
Of Europe. The complaint reviews what
II claims 70 oe unfair methods in
sitting competition. The Cosmopoli-
tan shipping company Of Philadelphia
which figures as the complainant. oper-
ates lines 10 Rotterdam, Leith and
Copenhagen.
COMBINE RULES SHIPPING
The charges set forth that an iron
clad trust in transatlantic freight car
American packet company. the North
German Lloyd. the scandinavian
American line and the Wilson (HUI)
line. and that this pool apportions the
volume OF traffic each OF its members
may carry and from what port or ports
each line shall make its ssilings, thus
involving the apportioGmeut of traffic
originating in western citieS-bOth as
20 character and amOurt-between the
cities or the North Atlantic sesboard-
In alleging that the Hamburg
American packet company. in its al
most absolute control Of eastbound and
westbound traffic between interior
points Of the United States and Ham
burg is a monopoly in restraint Of
trade. the complaining company raises
an interna tfonal question. The alIega-
tlon is made that the foreign corpora
riou. backed by tile German govern
TenL dictates terms. routes and rates
10 shippers all over the United States
who forward goods 10 Baltic ports and
diverts TO and from American ports at
its own viii without regard TO the
natural Gov OF trade and uses CO
erstve and unlawful methods TO crush
competition
The statement fled by Peter Wright
* sons says that the Cosmopolitan
freight services have no desire to sup
press legitimate competition, and adds:
I've therefore do not seek 10 have
ameliorated any OF the conditions
which fair competition may impose.
HVc 90 believe however, that pooling
combinations and iutfmidations the
after in certain Instances approaching
nlackmafI even under the sembiauce
~ competition. are not legitimate
forms Of competition. Pooling com
b5natf0ns and intimIdations in their
worst forms have been encountered re-