The San Francisco call., 1910-08-16
Fish DEALER IN
GRIP OF OCTOPUS
Owner of Net Patent Tells How
the Trust Threatened TO
Crush Him
"We Regulate Prices as We See
Fit" Representative of
Combine Said

The members of the fish trust, who
are desperately defending the $4,000
damage suit OF the Portola fish COM
pany on trial in Judge Hunts court
before a jury, were thrown into con-
sternauon yesterday by the strongest
testimony OF the existence Of a hard
and fast combination yet adduced in
the case. Richard Ovee. a wholesale
fish dealer of Portland. Ore, was the
witness. and he told of admissions by
Walter Mack, secretary of the Western
FISH company; J. Booth. a member of
the same concern. and J. g. Keesing of
the California fish company, that there
is 2 combination.
Ovee, who is a man Of education and
intelligence, on cross examination
stated that his presence in court was
the result of reading articles in The
San Francisco Call exposing the trust.
When he read those articles, he said, he
wrote to District Attorney Fiekert, Of
fering TO furnish the official with facts
IN his possession proving the existence
OF the trust, and Fickert turned the
letter over 10 James Devote, attorney
for the Portola company, who subpe
naed Ovee
REPULsED BY TRUST
The patent of a net that makes fish
catching cheaper and easier is owned
by Ovee, and in October last he came
10 San Francisco to try and induce the
wholesalers of this city to adopt his
patent He obtained an introduction
70 Booth of the Western company. who
made him acquainted with Mack, the
secretary. In all. Ovee had u CONVEX
sations with Mack. urging the adpotion
Of the improved nets, but without sue
cess Mack told him that Paladini did
not want any change, as the wholesal-
ers here had their own vessels and
equipment, with which they were quite
satisfied.
Mack told fle'' the witness contin-
ued, that Paladini and the Western
company controlled the market here by
reason OF the fact that they had the
vessels and caught all the sand dabs
and soles and that they could raise the
prices or lower the prices as they saw
nj. told him I'd come down here
with my nets anyhow and sell the fish
through peddlers. He answered We
viii have peddlers, too. and put you out
Of business If necessary we will give
the fish away In another conversation
Mack said the retailers and the hotels
and restaurants would not buy from
me because they knew that if at any
time by a mishap 1 could not supply
NA-Siit Tie CohiDlAdIlOn WOul0 not sell
them anything Mack said they had
the FISH market cornered and if no one
broke into the combination they would
all in five years be comparatively rich
men, He said Paladini was a million
aire already.
PRICES REGULATED
We regulate the supply and keep
up the price by sending the surplus of
fresh hsh to the glue works, selling it
Tor 1b cents a hundred pounds said
Mack TO me. In the last conversation
] had with him, December %, 1903
Mack said the combination had already
put one firm out of business"
Attorney Devote says this remark
applies to the Portola company.
Ovee had a conversation with Pala-
DIM, who said he did not want anv-
thing new in the shape of nets The
witness then went to Keesing of the
California company, and Keesine said
ms company would be put out of busi-
ness If they used the new nets How
ever, he was willing to buck the trust
II Ovee put up $4,000 to pay the ex-
penses.
You have got a pretty strong trust
here, Ovee said to Booth returning To
that Official Of the Western company.
II you have any other business here
L would advise you to attend to il in
stead Of trying TO fight the fish com
bination," was Booths advice. accord
ing 10 the witness.
A Faenzi, a member of the Portola
company, was on the witness stand
when an adjournment was taken to
Wednesday morning