The Detroit times., 1910-12-07
|BATH7UB TRUST
INDICTED HERE
Fifteen Firms Alleged BY Govern
ment To Have Combined in
Restraint of Trade.

The federal grand jury. now In Sos
sion In Detroit. returned indictments
Tuesday afternoon, against 10 nrms
constituting what Is known IA the
"bathtub trust" and 32 officials OF
those concerns All the companies
are located outside of this city. but
the government claims jurisdiction
here for the reason, as Is alleged.
that the most important conference
In connection with the organization
of the combine, was held in Mt. Glenn
ems last April.
The governments charge, In nut
shell, is that the defendants. control
ling an annual output OF Sl5.OO0,0oo,
or about IS per cent OF the total out
put of sanitary enameled iron ware.
such as bath tubs. lavatories, sinks.
etc. combined TO restrain their trade
and the trade of jobbers In plumb
ing supplies in the United States.
For the past two days witnesses
have been examined by the grand
Jury in connection with the case. The
evidence was presented by Edwin +.
Grosvenor, special assistant 10 the
attorney general; District Attorney
Frank H. Watson and Joseph Oar
ling. special agent OF the department
OF justice.
In statement given out by Mr.
Darling late Tuesday afternoon, some
OF the trust methods are enumerated
as follows:
Refusing TO sell TO jobbers who
handle the goods Of Independents. the
fixing of resale prices. the division OF
the United States into eleven zones.
and refusing TO sell jobbers' unless
they would maintain the resale prices
established by agreement OF defend
ants. The effect Of these resale prices
is to make the price of the articles
manufactured by the combination the
same throughout the United States,
and to eliminate the competition OF
jobbers as well as of manufacturers.
The indictments charge. also. that
the defendants compelled the jobbers
TO enter into uniform contracts, and
that all the defendants refused TO sell
TO any jobber unless he would sign
such a contract.
The defendants are: Theo. Ahrens.
Francis Torrance. L. l.. Dawes and
w. A. Myier. president. first vice-pres-
ident, second vice-pres!0ent and treas
urer OF the Standard Sanitary Manu-
featuring Co: G. VI. Vosgeie and T. K
Barnes. president and secretary OF the
Barnes Manufacturing CO.: Frank Ii.
Caldwell and j J. Mahoney. president
and vice president OF the Cahill Iron
Works. Jesse L Duryea and Bert O. Til
den president and secretary of Colwell
Lead Co. w. G. Winfield and A. t..
Ward. president and vice-president OF
the Hayward Co; ). NJ Ford and
Reid Carpenter. president and secre-
tary Of the Humphreys Manufacturing
Co; j. y Frauenheim. president an I
treasurer ot the Kerner Manufactur-
ing Co.. Jordan l.. Mott and Max Goa-
bel, president and secretary Of the }
l.. Mott Iron Works; Thomas Walker
and Alex G. Walker, president ant
director of McVay Il Walker: Lloyd
c. McCrum and Howard I. Gates
president and secretary OF the
McCrum Howell Co. Frank G.
Borden and II. w. Davis. president
and secretary Of the National SAM
tary Manufacturing Co.; L. c. Hues.
man and +. V. Brigham. president and
secretary Of Union Sanitary Manufac.
turing Co. Charles r. Arrott and A.
II. Cline, Jr., president and secretary
OF the United States Sanitary Manu-
featuring Co; Anton Weiskittel. pres
ident Of \. Weiskittel X Sons CO. i;
Ludwig Wolff and Herman NJ. Hoel-
scher. president and secretary of L.
Wolff Manufacturing 90; J. f. Wright
and GeorSe w. FranLheim, president
and secretary OF Wheeling Enameled
Iron Co: Standard Sanitary Manufac
turing Co. Pittsburg Pa: \. Weis
kittel a. Son Co, Baltimore, Md. :;
the Barnes Manufacturing Co, Mans.
field. o: the Cahill Iron Works, Chat.
tanooga. Tenn; Cclwell Lead Co., New
York City; the Hayward Co., Warren
o.; the Humphreys Manufacturing
Co., Mansfield, o.. Kerner Manufac.
turing Co. tittsburg, Pa; the J. l..
Mott Iron Works, New York City: Nc
Way & Walker. Braddock, Pa; the Nc
/ Crum.Howell Co. New York city; the
National Sanitary Manufacturing Co.
Salem. o.; Union Sanitary Mfg Co (;
NoblesviI!e. ind; l.. Wolf Manufac
turing Co, Chicago, ILL.,; Wheeling
Enameled Iron Co. Wheeling, West
Va
The statement adds:
The criminal proceeding is the re,
suit OF the evidence taken in the civil
suit against the same defendants in
stituted in Baltimore, which evidence
! established 10 the sati faction of the
department that the violation Of law
Is OF character requiring criminal
proceeding.
The evidence taken in the civil
suit establishes, In the opinion of the
department, that the defendants at
tempted to disguise the combination
by subterfuge, employing for that
purpose certain patents on tools used
In the manufacture OF enamel iron
ware. The day before they signed
the contract. after they had arranged
all the terms Of the combination
three Of the defendants assigned