Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-23
THE POWDER TRUST


trst-knoWn a. the DUPONT International
Smokeiess Powder Company-was entered
with President Roosevelt today. and inquiry
was made as to why the government has
not yet awaited itself OF an appropriation Of
the last session of Congress for the estab-
iishment Of government powder factory.
The President directed his callers to con-
suit Navy and War Department of1cials
and lay their case before Attorney General
Bonaparte. who will Be asked to enter suit
in the United States courts against the
trust, charged with holding the government
up for immense profits. which 1t uses an q
basis to cut prices against Independent
powder manufacturers and run them out
Of business.
Representative I.afean introduced the
delegation to the President. II represented
about thirty Ave Independent powder con-
Germs. mostly located in Pennsylvania, and
they declare that the powder trust IL cut
ting prices on them to run them out OF busi-
monopoly on the powder business Of the
United States at this time. Thomas J..
Reese. E. Metzger. w. I. Rain. C. w.
Shaffer. w. c. Georgia, r. 8. waddell. H.
B. Lindsey. w. 1. Roller. r. J. waters and
r. 8. Waddell, president of the Buckeye
Powder Company or Peoria, ILL.,, were menu
beers Of the delegation.
Invented by Naval Officers.
The assertion was made to the President
that the smokeless powder used by the
Navy Department was invented by naval
Officers after the government had spent a
million dollars in experiments and fur
nished the time of naval officers for years
to do the work; that the experiments re-
suited 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 officers who
had been detailed for the work applied for
and received personal patents; that the ofri-
GERS were provided with government money,
apparatus, materials and supplies; that dur
ing all the time they were pal. salaries by
the government; that these officers of 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 produced under
the governments the sole use and benefit
should inure to the government and not
be supplied to a concern which Is charged
with selling powder to foreign govern
ments; with the patents in it's possession
the powder trust has a monopoly OF the
business Of furnishing the government
ammunition 1t uses for the navy: that
its last bid to the government. all the
competing companies making the same
bid, was s. cents a pound: that the powder
can easily be made for "a cents pound
and that the net profit to the trust from Its
last bid, together with other contracts to
the government Of the same kind, Is fully
$2.OO0,000.
The Independent powder companies
charge that they placed the matter be-
fore the Department Of Justice last Au-
gust, and print a copy of letter received
In October last from Milton D. Purdy,
acting attorney general, in which he states
that sufficient evidence has not been pro-
duced upon which the government can
proceed for cancellation Of the patents.
''It does not appear" said Mr.. Purdy, that
these officers perpetrated any 1rauds
An Appropriation by Congress.
The President was informed that Con-
sress made an appropriation of $165OOO
at the last session TO establish a powder
factory for tho War Department. but that
nothing had been done. The delegation
urged that. the government appropriate
s. 600 600 for the establishment OF three
powdSr factories In different parts OF the
country to make Its own powder. ana
that the Department of Justice institute
proceedings against the TRUST under the
ANTITRUST laws of .tEe 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 declara-
ton is made that the powder trust has
contracted for plans to build plant In
Brazil to furnish the Brazilian govern
ment with the same powder used by the
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