The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-06-05
IS IT COMBINE
 TO FIX PRICE? Testimony About Sons
 of Plato. SOCIETY OF COTTON OIL MEN Fertilizer Trust Committee Probes
 Into Organization.  One Witness Had Heard 1t Had Im- proper Purpose, but n Member Declares it simply Fra- ternal order.

What the Sons of Plato," the sig nificance of whose name attached to a society of cotton seed oil manufac- turers Is not known. stand for is a point that the Fertilizer and Cotton Seed oil Mill Investigating Committee tried to determine yesterday at It's first session since it took recess several weeks ago.
 L. A. Rouse. Jr.. of Montgomery, formerly connected with the Planters Cotton OH Mill in this city, said he had heard it was a society of cotton seed oil mill officers which had been organized and maintained to control prices of cotton seed; S. A. Solomon of the Southern Cotton Seed oil Kill said the society had no purpose and was merely a fraternal order. whose object he was not willing to disclose.
 That was the gist of the most inn portant evidence brought out before the committee yesterday. Other wit nesses afforded little evidence of star ting or notably material importance.
 The committee met yesterday after a recess and at once began the ex- animation of witnesses. Senator M. L.. Leith, Chairman of the Committee, and Senator John w. overton, Representa- tive W. L. Pitts, and Representative J. R. Sample were present, with Assist ant Attorney General Thomas W. Mar tin to examine the witnesses. Hon E. r. Baber was stenographer for the committed.
 The examination of witnesses was to determine the truth or falsfty of the suspicion that there Is a combination of the oil mills in Montgomery to fix the price of raw cotton seed, and to prorate the seed among the mills. no matter by which mill the seed may be bought Upon this point L. E. Speer and l.. c. Cantelou of Wetumpka were closely examined, but their testimonies were not of especial importance in tendingAo prove that there was or was not combination. .-.s
 Mir. Rouse's testimony In regard to the Sons of Plato was hearsay. He had been told that the society existed and had as its object the fixing of prices ana the pro rating of the seed. He said ke was not a member of the society and did not know what had been done at the four or five meetings he heard the Sons of Plato had held.
 Mir. Solomon was examined in the afternoon when the committee recon- vened at 8 o'clocks after the usual re- cess for dinner. He said that he was one of the Sons of Plato. The organi- zation. he stated, was not to fix prices or pro rate seed. but benevolent or- der of which he was not permitted to tell the purpose fa, ~x
 F. R. Taber. manager of the vir- ginia- Carolina Chemical Company. who testified before the committee at its previous session. gave the committee lists Of his agents and customers. He was not examined farther.
 The committee adjourned late yes- terday afternoon to meet ats10 o'clock this morning, when other witnesses will be examined.
 Senator Leith said last night that he expected the committee would adjourn in few days, as 1t had obtained al- ready nearly all the information to accomplish the purpose for which 1t was created.