The San Francisco call., 1908-03-25
MEAT COMBINE IN
OAKLAND GIVES Up
Butchers Exchange Informs the
Grand Jury That 1t VIII
Obey Cartwright Law
Books of Organization Furnish
Evidence of Discrimination
80 Against Independents

OAKLAND, March 24.-The butchers
exchange gave up the fight with the
independent meat dealers today after
the grand jury had begun an investiga-
ton of it's methods. Officials of the
exchange assured Deputy District At
torney Donahue and the members OF
the grand jury that all its future acts
would conform with the provisions of
the Cartwright antitrust law.
Back OF the fight between the mem
hers Of the exchange and the inde-
pendent dealers, all of whom are retail
ers We're the big wholesalers. When
il was organized the butchers exchange
made terms with the wholesalers bind
ing them, II was said, to supply only
members of the trust with meat The
wholesalers agreed to accept reports of
the exchange regarding the standing
Of any retail dealer and 70 be governed
accordingly.
Clauses in the bylaws of the ex-
change forbade the opening OF a new
retail shop within 500 feet of an estab-
lished shop on penalty of boycott In
dependent dealers within the prescribed
limit were denied a meat supply. Trade
which the wholesalers would have OBJ
tained was cut of and driven to a sin
gle wholesale dealer outside the com
bIne.
The wholesalers soon tired of their
agreement. and the opinion prevailed
among many dealers that they had in
stgated the Investigation by the grand
jury.
Foremost among the opponents of
The trust was c. Z. Schmidt of the Cali
fornis cooperative meat company. He
gathered a mass Of data regarding al
leged discrimination by the Western
meat company and packers of the
st0ckyards district and placed il at
Donanue's disposal
One Of the cases was that Of Harry
Bray. who opened a shop in Fruitvale
avenue near the old county road and
VINO asserted that the Western meat
company had refused TO sell him a
pound OF meat
Another was that OF the firm OF
Douglas & Rettig, who purchased two
lots OF hogs from the cooperative con-
Germ while members OF the exchange
and were subjected TO successive fines
of $50 and $l00. They refused TO pay
the second fine. though they said they
paid the smaller one Subsequently,
they were cut of from supply.
Schmidt also said that he knew the
exchange had sent an agent to the Sac
lamentO, butchers exchange asking
that body to bring pressure upon a 10
cal packer who was supplying inde-
pendent dealers here. He said similar
efforts had been made in the packing
district Of South San Francisco.
Oflcials of the exchange who were
before the grand jury today We're T II.
Nevin Of 22zo Bancroft way, Berkeley.
The president, and F. Kohler and II.
kohler Of So Telegraph avenue. secre-
t2ry and treasurer of the organization
They brought the books of the ex-
change, which contained conclusive evf-
oence Of law breaking in the opinion
o the grand jury Nevin promised that
the exchange would conform TO the
law in the future. and showed that
since the announcement that the grand
Jury had taken up the case there had
been no discrimination against retail
eFs- Directors who ratified the state
s4ent were Charles Miller, Eugene
Young and z. Breiling. Schmidt said
when informed of the action OF the ex-
change:
am glad the fight is over, FOR II has been
& costly one for all concerned No one de-
mes either wholesaler, retailer or workingman
tne right 70 organize. but there should be no
nEhtlng among members OF the same class
DE exchange was unfair and I think unlawful
bet now that IL has agreed 10 change its
nethocs there is much 10 be gained by exactly
such organization.