The San Francisco call., 1910-03-04
WITNESSES ADMIT
COMBINE ON FISH
es
Attorney for Wholesalers De-
HOuHces Suit of independents
as BIackmaiI
.
Fertilizer Makers Testify OF
Good Food Being Sold to
Make Glue

That a Paladini and the weStern
.nslr company. are the dominating mem
bers ef 4 combination of wholesale FISH
merchants was established by the nes-
fimony OF unwilling witnesses yesteA-
day Before the committee appointed by
the stxta senate to investigate the high
. cost. of living
The admissions were not secured
without a hard struggle. Senator E
j Wolfe was forced 10 fire question
after question at the witnesses before
: he could secure the information souglH
De- by the: committee. His success aroused
j. va Ai Madden, attorney for certain
wholesale fish merchants named by the
:. Pogt0fa:- fish company as defendants In
3 suit for $4,000 damage for con-
spiracy. a. J. Devote, attorney for the
3. Port0ls company, was quick TO join
the issue and Wolfe was forced to call
.Ihe helligerents to order.
DENIAL OF COMBINATION
After Paiadini had testified that he
knew of no combination OF wholesalers
and that he had never refused to sell
FISH to retail dealers because they
bought Of the Portola company he was
Questioned about the testimony given
by Joseph Catania to the effect that
Paladini had told him to get rid OF
The Portols company as tenants.
Did YOU have a talk with Catsnia
= bout getting the Portola out of there?"
asked Wolfe.
no. sir replied Paladini He is
liar"
:. .Paladini went on with rambling
statement TO the effect that Manager
=: 14Tgi Of the Portola company had never
J.: gote to him TO buy fish and that the
$u1t Of the PortOla company was the
fist one brought against him in his 40
Years as a merchant here.
CHARGE OF BLACkNAIL
: eIt's blaekmal.r interjected Madden
= :'Thats q contemplate false state
- 1neht. asserted Devote. You'll find II
is. something else.
-. .':I did not mean YOU. ] referred TO
your client" said Madden
TN defend my client You'll md
:lelu what kind Of blackmail il is when
We get through retOrted Devote.
:. Emil Borzone of the New San Fran
cisco fish company, which Is friendly
TO The combination. became badly tam
gled in his testimony. but did make
some dana ging admissions notwith-
j: standing his reluctance. Madden in
.f6rposed an objection that Wolfe was
5nisleading the witness. The senator
Insisted that Madden was trying to
itQach the witness and told Madden not
.4Q.inteTfere.
: COMPLAINS OF PERSECUTION
.:This looks 10 me more like q perse-
= 4rufion than an investigation" said
Madden. 1t looks more like taking
testimony in the case of the Portola
company against my clients. II you
. continue these tactics ! may instruct
-7ft clients not 10 > answer
Attorney General Webb observed that
Ilfe lawyers were present by sufferance
p and should abide by the ruling of the
committee. Devote added that Madden
g. was. not the attorney for Borzone.
:Borzone Joined with other witnesses
IN asserting that Paladini and the
WesteTn fsh company controlled the
catch Of the outside fish He also said
Il hat while the independent company
Hss in operation the price for sole
sfept as low as so cents box, but it
: was promptly raised as soon as the
: competition was removed.
GOOD FISH MADE INTO GLUE
Henry Beckley Of the American fish
ahd oyster company denied that his
company was allied with the trust.
He attributed the increased cost OF
.: some fish to the high cost of twine
for nets. which is sold only by one
firm. He expressed the opinion that
Paladini and the Western had under
-. sold the PoTtola 10 drive the inde-
pendent firm out of business.
A. J. ". Born. superintendent of the
: .NLO grease company, testified that
:. FISH good enough 10 eat had been con-
verted into fertilizer at the plant. He
estimated that 100 tons Of fresh fish
:weTe used al the plant last year in the
= manufacture of glue. The price paid
was s. a ton.
. Frank Lawrence, r. W. Zimmerman
John Hansen and Thomas l. Sharman
told of fresh fish being taken from the
= markets and used At the reduction
plant in the manufacture of glue.
-. The investigation viii be resumed al
f'-l9 O'Clock tomorrow morning at the
-harbor boards rooms.