The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1910-04-14
GLASS TRUST hit
THREE COUNTS AGAINST is OF.
FIciALS AND DIRECTORS OF
IMPERIAL CO.
PROFITS SI50.OOO A YEAR
Federal Probers Find Plentiful Evi.
dencc of Alleged Violation of
of Sherman Antitrust
Law.

Pittsburg, April 8. - The Imperial
Window Glass company, a corporation
of West Virginian birth, which lacks
but one week of being a year old, and
Is officials and directors were indicted
by a special federal grand jury here
on three counts:
First, conspiracy in the restraint Of
the hand blown window glass trade in
the United States.
Second, engagement in illegal com
petition.
Third, attempt TO monopolize inter
state trade.
A week ago the United States Dis
trict Attorney John H. Jordan divulged
the information that federal officers
had completed a three months investi-
cation of the glass industry and would
present to the grand jury evidence to
show that the corporation acted in
violation of the Sherman antitrust
law. After a four days hearing of
many witnesses, the grand jurors re-
turned an indictment of 60 long type
written pages.
Named in Indictment.
The indictment sets forth that the
Imperial Window Glass company, as
named in the indie .ment, are: Presi-:
dent, Myron l.. Case of Maumee, O.;
vice president, NJ. j. Healy, Bradford,
Pa, and treasurer, j. G. Sayre, Nor
gantown, w. Va; directors-Thomas
Spillane, New Bethlehem, Pa; G. w.
Morenus, Kan, Pa; Thomas Camp,
president Smithport Window Glass
company; William l.. Graham, Mason
town, Pa; Felix Steinberger, Clarks-
burg, Va; J. G. Sayre, Morgantown,
w. Va; c. p. Cole, Lancaster, O.; o.
c. league, Utica, N. Y; Frank Bias
tin, Vincennes, Ind; f. R. Weare,
Kansas City, Mo-; A. Hudson, Chanute,
Kan, and U. c. Baker, Carey, Kan.
Bar to competition.
The indictment sets foorth that the
company, incorporated in West Vir-
ginia April IA, 1909, has from that
day to this acted as a selling agency
and has prevented competition by
.persuading and inducing corporations,
partnerships and individuals in the
window glass trade to enter into con-
tract with the agency to sell their en-
tire outputs of hand blown window
glass; and that the defendants were
able to establish, fix and maintain ar
bitrary, unreasonable and non-competi-
tive prices for window glass, greatly
in excess of prices which wous. pre-
vail if said defendants had not en-
gagged in unlawful conspiracy"
1t is charged that when glass blow
ing concerns declined to enter such
agreements the defendants proceeded
to lease the factories with the pur-
pose to m~onopolize the trade and re-
strain interstate commerce.
The company is said to control fac
tories in ten states, viz: Illinois, In
diana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michi.
gan, North Carolina, New York, Ohio,
Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
United States Assistant Attorney
General Grosvenor of Washington and
United States District Attorney John
II. Jordan of Pittsburg have conducted
the investigation.
The Imperial Window Glass COM
pany is capitalized at $250,O0O, of
which amount $4,000 is paid in.
During the four days inquisition testi-
mony, it was officially learned, was to
the effect that the company had clear
ed s150,000 net Over and above all ex-
penses.
The companies which were allowed
by the alleged agreement to sell only
to the Imperial company number &c,
representing a capitalization of be-
tween S7,000,000 and 5000, 900. OF
these &C companies it was testified
that IL were kept closed, the idleness
involving al expense of $4,000 a
year.
District Attorney Jordan declared
that the price of window glass had
increased about 60 per cent since the
incorporation of the Imperial Window
Glass company.
The cas- is the first here under the
Sherman law. The statute provides
that upon conviction on n one count
a fine of $4,000 or Imprisonment for
n year, or both may be a maximum
penalty.