The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-06-20
Between Railroads and a
German Steamship Go.
SAID TO BE ILLEGAL
Alleged Unfair Methods are to be
Investigated by the Interstate
Commerce Commission.

Washington, June 20.-The Inter.
state commerce commission has de,
cided to institute an investigation into
the affairs of the Hamburg-American
Packet Co., which is charged by Peter
Wright & Sons, general agents at
Philadelphia of the Cosmopolitan
Shipping Co. and the Cosmopolitan
lines, with pooling and. maintaining
monopolies in restraint of trade. The
inquiry is expected to be one of the
most stupendous ever undertaken and
of a character different from any that
has ever before engaged the attention
OF the commission.
The inquiry will have to deal with
an alleged combination between rail-
roads in the United States and the
German shipping concern and there
fore interests every American pro-
ducer, manufacturer or shipper aspir-
ing to introduce his goods to foreign
consumers.
According to the complaint on
which action was taken by the com
mission the Hamburg-American
Packet Co. has built up a complete
monopoly of the eastbound traffic
originating in Chicago, St Louis, Kan.
sas City, Omaha, Minneapolis, Duluth,
Cleveland and other manufacturing
centers of the United States intended
for places on the continent of Europe.
The complaint reviews what 1t claims
to be unfair methods In sitting com
petition.
The Cosmopolitan Shipping Co., of
Philadelphia, which figures as the
complainant, operates lines to Rotter-
dam, Leith and Copenhagen The
charges allege that an ironclad trust
in transatlantic freight carrying ex-
lists between the Hamburg-American
Packet Co., the North German Lloyd,
Scandinavian American line and the
Wilson Chill line) and this pool ap.
portions the volume of traffic each of
its members shall carry and from
what port or ports each line shall
make its sailings, thus involving the
apportiopment of traffic originating in
western clties-both as to character
and amount-between the cities OF
the north Atlantic seaboard.
In charging that me Hamburg.
American Packet Co. in its almost alb.
soute control of east5ound and west.
bound traffic between interior points
OF the United States and Hamburg is
a monopoly in restraint OF trade, the
complaining company raises an inter
national question. The allegation Is
made that the foreign corporation Is
backed by the German government,
dictates terms, routes and rates to
shippers all over the United States
who forward goods TO Baltic ports,
dlyerts freight to- and from American
ports at It's own will without regard
to the natural flow of trade, and uses
coerciye methods to kill competition
1t Is charged that the combination
controls absolutely 81 per cent of the
traffic from interior American cities
to continental European points, and
the combination by prejudice or ma.
licious policy can divert traffic to or
from any one or all of the ports of
Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Bal
timore, Norfolk and Newport News"
Continuing, the complaint says:
mot a pound of freight can move
from any interior city of the United
States via the six great Atlantic ports
to Hamburg without the permission
of the Hamburg-American Packet Co.
Thus company foreign In its con.
troll, dictates the rates, the line, the
method, the routes and every other
condition of trade and traffic, to which
tha American producer, manufacturer
or shipper must humbly submit"