New-York tribune., 1910-02-24
MILK MEN INDICTED
CONSPIRACY TO FIX
PRICES CHARGED.
Eight Directors of Consolidat-
cd Exchange Named bN
Grand Jug.

with the indictment OF eight directors
of the Consolidated Milk Exchange
-,esterdav afternoon District Attorney
Whitman completed the first step N
what promises to be a general lnEesu-
cation OF combinations Of dealers 1crnleo
70 force consumers TO pay excessive {
rrices for the necessaries Of life. Deal
crs in cold storage meat, poultry ana
eggs are the next scheduled for MS ON
cial probe.
The eight Milk Exchange directors
held Yesterday by the grand jury on the
charge Of Jointly violating the statute
relating to conspiracy are John "A Nc
p-;de q milk producer Of Sussex. N j.
0aniel Bailey. a milk producer ana
,,;6dIenan: Walter r. Comfort, presi-
dent of the Reid Ice Cream Company
Thomas o. Smith. head Of T. @ smith
Sons milk wholesalers; FREDERICK T.
Seller of Seller Brothers, Newark. N J-'
milk dealers: H. r. Euntenan, president
Of the standard Dairy Company; James
a Howell. of the Howell Condensed MIX
End Cream Company, Jersey City ana
George Slaughter. Brooklyn MIX
dealer
Jury To REPORT ON MoNDAA-
7-,on fine statement of District At
tornev Whitman that he had in mind
cher matters which he did not feel at
liberty TO state at the moment pul
,.hic7 he felt required the attention OF
The court and the grand jury, Justice
s,of directed the jurors TO report on
Monday for further instructions
The gentlemen Of this grand jury
have shown z lively sense OF their re-
sponsibility TO the city, said justice
cor When the foreman asked II II
might not be possible to dispose OF any
further investigation in the two days
remaining in the present term, Justice
fzof did not permit Mr.. Whitman TO
answer, but said:
I will answer for the District At
torney. and say that the wisest course
10 pursue is to relieve YOU OF further
duties until Monday
Later III the day the District Attorney
let il pe known that the milk invesuga-
tion would probably be recpened and
eight further indictments returned,
charging the directors individually with
Violating the Donnelly anti-monopoly
law.
Each CT the directors who voted TO
increase the price OF milk may be and
,,robably will be indicted for violation Of
the law II was explained Under the
1oint indictment just presented they will
r.ecessarily have 10 be tried together.
They might be more easily convicted
under individual indictments
The investigation which resulted III
Yesterdays indictments grew cut OF the
general advance OF a cent a quart in the
price Of milk in this city during Decen1-
Ter. The grand jury which presented
item was held over from the January
term and charged with. the milk in
vestigation about four weeks ago. Dur
ing that time Assistant District At
tornev DeFord has directed the presen-
1etion CT evidence. much Of which was
discovered through the investigation
previously instituted By the Attorney
General.
The specific offence charged is that
the eight directors IN June, 1909, gath
cred together ana conspired to fix, and
did fix the wholesale price Of milk at
81 Il a foTty-Quart can The offence IS
= uaisdeneanor. and the penalty pre-
scribed b. Section $40 of the conson-
dated laws is q fine Of 5000 or one
year in prison. or both.
There are seventeen directors of the
Consolidated Mix Exchange, the other
nine being Q y. c. Beakes, II. B
Ccnkiin. I {. Jordan, Joseph Y. Jor-
dan, John F. Neirck, Joseph Laemmle.
George Innken. William T. Rogers and
7ienrr Younss. As they all testified be
fore Referee William Grant Brown, who
was appointed by Justice Seabury, eff
the Supreme Court. to investigate the
Mix Exchange. they arc immune from
prosecution.
When asked # the cold storage Of