The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-12-07
Attorney Generals Assistants
Procure True Bill Against
Big Combine.
SIXTEEN FIRMS; THIRTY
TWO INDIVIDUALS ACCUSED
Fund of $1,000 Said to Have
Been Subscribed to Con
troll Trade.

DETROIT. Dec. 6.-The anti-tr
campaign of Attorney General Wicker
sham shifted to Detroit this week. with
the result that indictments were returned
by the federal grand idry against six
teen firms and thirty-tWo individuals al
legged to have secured control OF 50 per
cent OF the annual output of enamel iron
ware batbtubs. sinks. Iavatories. etc. in
the United States.
The criminal proceedings grew out Of
a civil suit to dissolve the alleged COM
bination begun by the government In the
federal court at Baltimore. Hearings
were held in Chicago, Pittsburg and New
York within the last forty days.
The evidence adduced was presented
to the grand jury by Edwin p Gross
venor. special assistant to the attorney
general of the United States, District At
torney Watson of Detroit and Joseph
Darling. special agent OF the department
OF justice. Secret hearings began yes
terday and nothing was given out until
afternoon.
To Control Trade.
It is charged that as the result of a
I ten days meeting at Mount Clemens.
Mich, last April. fund Of $1,000 was
secured to set In motion plan that re.
|
OF sixteen manufacturers and nearly four
hundred jobbers, representing an output
of approximately ten million dollars a
year,
Both the civil suit started at Balti-
more and the criminal proceedings here
have been instituted under the Sherman
antitrust law
! Defendant firms in the criminal pro-
ceedings are: Standard Sanitary Manu-
| featuring company, Pittsburg. Pa A.
Weiskttel &c Sons company. Baltimore;
the Barnes Manufacturing company,
Marshfeld. Ohio; the CahIll Iron Works.
| Chattanooga Tenn: Colwell Lead COM
pany. New York City the Day-Ward
company, Warren, O.; T; Humphreys
| Kerner Manufacturing company. PittS-
burg, Pa; the J, T. Mott Iron Works.
New York; McVay & Walker Braddocle.
Pa; the McCrum- Howell company. New
York City, the National Sanitary Manu-
featuring company, Noblesville Ind; L..
Wolf Manufacturing company. Chicago;
Wheeling Enameled ,,dG Iron s,a,on 9ompsny. san
itary Manufacturing company, Plttsburs,
Pa.
individuals Indicted.
Individual defendants are; Theodore
4. Ahrcns Francis J. Torrance. F.. l..
Dawes and w. A. Myier, respectively
president first and sfSona eco ,da vice ~ pssS, sen
itary Manufacturing company; c, M
Vocgele and T. r. Barnes president and
secretary OF the Barnes company; Frank
II. Caldwell and j. j. Mahoney. president
and vice president OF the Cahlll Iron
Works; Jesse II. Duryea and Burt y,
TTlden. president and secretary OF the
and A. G. Ward, president and vice pres
ident Of the Day Ward company: 5. NJ
Ford and Reid CARPENTER. president and
secretary OF the Humphreys Manufac-
president and treasurer Of the Kerner
Manufacturing company: Jordan L. Mott
and Max Goebel, president and secretary
Of the J. IT. Mott Iron Works; Thomas
Walker and Alexander q. Walker. pres
ldent and director of McNay d walker
Lloyd McCrum and Howard T. Gates,
president and secretary OF the McCrunl :,
Howell company; Frank C: Borden and
n. w, Davis, president and secretary OF
the National Sanitary Manufacturing
company; j.. c. Buesman and E. V. Brig-
Union Sanitary Manufacturing com
pany; Charles Arott and "A. Ii; Cline. Jr.;
president and secretary or INC Dnitsu
States Sanitary Manufacturing company:
anton Weiskittei. president of A. Weis-
kittel & Sons company; Ludwig Woltt
and Herman NJ. Hoelscher. president and
secretary Of L. Wolff Mannfaeturine
FYanzheim. president and secretary OF
the Wheeling Enameled Iron company.
Jobbers Coerced.
The two indictments against each de-
fendant contain six and four counts re
spectlvely and charge that the defend
ants controlling So per cent annual out
mi combined to restrain the trade oi
the manufacturers and JobbeTs ~ plumb
inc supplies by refusing TO sell to Job
bv fixing resale prices by dividing the
United States into eleven zones by re-
fusine to sell TO jobbers who would not
maintain sale prices,
resale prices is To make the price The
same throughout the United states. and
to eliminate competition OF Jobbers as
we'll as of manufacturers.
Tho indictments also charge that the
defendants compelled the jobbcrs TO en-
ter into uniform contracts and that all
the defendants refused to seh TO any
Among the witnesses who gave testl-
mony here are Walter koher. presl
dent OF the J; M kohler Sons COMPANY;
New York; John A. Kelly of the Iron
City Sanitary Manniacturtng company
Plttsburg and Zeiionoplc, Pm; John l..
Suliwold. president of the Western sun
ply company, st. Paul, MINI; Henry r.
Bullock. president of the Illinois Malle-
able Iron company. Chicago; James X.
Gilmore. president Of the u, NJ. Gilmore
company. Minneapolis.
Immunity for One.
The government officials took the
ground that the evidence in the civil !
suit esta blished that the defendants at
tempted TO disguise their combination by
tho subterfuee of purchasing the patents
on certain tools and licensing certain
firms to use these tools.
The government places great weight |
on the testimony OF Edwin T.. Wnyman
Of Pittsburg who Is described as the |
lIcenscr of the alleged combination. and |
whose Testimony IN the civil suit has
given him Immunity from criminal pro-
cccdhngs.
The government charges that Wavman |
obtained $1,000 from the Peoplc's State |
Bank OF Detroit by giving 100 shares Of
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