The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-12-16
ALLEGED TOWNS
TRUST IS GIVEN ]
HARD JOLT
Capt. c. A. Sinclair, Former General
Manager Of Great Lakes Concern,
Says 1t Has Monopoly in Nearly
Every Port.
Government Will Seek To Show That
Ostensible Competitors Are Really
Part of Octopus.

That the Great Lakes Towing Coz
known as the towing trust, enjoys q
monopoly of the harbor towing busi-
ness in practically all the ports on
the Great Lakes except Two Harbors
ana Milwaukee, was, in substances
the testimony of Capt. G. A. Sinclair
of Detroit. formerly general manager
of the Great Lakes Towing Co., be-
fore Special Examiner Burton @.
Miller in the United States circuit
court rooms. Friday morning.
Capt. Sinclair was the first OF
more than a score of witnesses whOs
will be examined here in connecticut
with the governments suit to dis
solve the alleged towing trust as be-:
ing in violation Of the Sherman antt-i
trust law. The taking of testimony
began with Fridays session and will
continue here for several days, afteri
which the officials will continue the,
hearing in some other port William
l.. Day, United States district attor-l
ney for the northern district OF
Ohio, and live wire," Is in charges
OF the examination for the govern
ment He is assisted by E. p. Cham
berlin, special assistant, and nj. J..
Lins, special agent OF the department
OF justice, who gathered much of the
evidence against the defendant COM
pany. The trust, so-called, is repre-
sented by Harvey ID. Goulder and
Herman Kelley, both of Cleveland.
Capt. Sinclair's testimony, consid-
ering the fact that he had been re-
garded as hostile witness by the
government, and referred to as such
by Mr.. Day during the examination.
was something of surprise.
1T Is better than expected by
far" said Mr.. Day with a smile at
the conclusion of the morning SEES
sion.
Mr.. Goulder was plainly disconcert-
ed, and exhausted all his resources in
an effort to secure modification OF
the testimony from the witness, but
with poor success. Capt. Sinclair was
the only witness examined during the
morning. The hearing was resumed
at 2 o'clock, Friday afternoon.
In an effort to show that the Great
Lakes Towing Co. had competition In
all the principal ports, Attorney
Goulder enumerated a long list OF
concerns, reading from a marine di-
rectory. Capt Sinclair admitted that
he knew OF these concerns. but de-
clared that very few of them had
anything TO do with towing the big
boats in and out of harbors, except
as they could pick up a job here and
there. During his term as general
manager of the company, which was
In 1903 and 1904, the company, he
testified, had contracts with practical
ly all the larger vessels on the lakes,
requiring tow service.
Mr.. Goulder named a number OF
ports where there were no Great
Lakes Towing Co. tugs. Among them
he mentioned Pressure Isle.
None there, are there?" he asked.
They couldn't make expenses II
there were" was the rejoinder.
But there are other tugs at that
port?"
"Oh, yes, fish tugs"
The inference from the captains
testimony was that the Great Lakes
concern did business only where 1t I
was profitable to do business, and
that, in the ports where it operates
It enjoys practically a monopoly.
Capt. Sinclair did not give up this
information voluntarily by any means. :
What admissions he made were
forced from him, but when he had
once made statement, he stood by
1t. Most of the testimony was high
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