Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-11-17

tum directly to the successful pros
ecutlon of the combination for the de-
partmcnt OF Justice and the imposi
llnn by the United States court Of
INES upon the corporation and upon
IT'S officers and directors individuaIIv.
The department issued q statement
tonight outlining its view Of the mat
ter and incidentally intimating tn4
the r"porttG action Of the corporations
if substantiated by the fact. would
indicate a very mistaken lenicncy on
The part of the court which it is hoped
would not be followed ON any other
similar OCCASION"
This animation is Interpreted here
as indicating an intention by the de
pai tneEt 10 insist in similar cases up
on jan sentences Father than fines
The attorney general expresses indiy-
nation at such report and strongly
doubts AS t. its reliability.
the statement of the department is
as follows:
The evidence obtained by the depart
ment shows that the Imperial Window
Glass Co. was organized in April, 1909 1t
manufactured no glass but was purely
a selling agency buying the entire out
put of 80 or more manufacturers of VIM
dow glass in some 10 different states.
1T began business in January, 1910. BY
October |. 1910 prices had been advanced
10 per cent. over what they were in
April. 1909 The evidence showed that in
the first three months of its operation
the Imperial Co. earned net profits equal
to its entire capital stock. The largest
advance in prices was subsequent to this
initial period, and the evidence showed
that during the 10 months of its business
the combination cleared about $t.O00,0
or 400 per cent on its capital stock. 1t
leased 10 factories at high rentals for the
sole purpose of keeping them closed and
removing their product from the market.
Indictments were found against the Is di-
rectors and officers uf the company, each
one of whom was either president or =
prominent officer Of one of the compa-
mics who had entered into agreements to
sell their product only to the Imperial
Co. Demurrers to the indictments We're
overruled. Monday, NOV. II. the defend
ants appeared in court in Pittsburg and
interposed please of nolo contendere
spite the opposition of the district at
tornev the court only fined each of the
individual defendants $500 and the corpor-
alton $500 and costs.
1T was stated to the court that the
comhinato had been dissolved and
this was one of the considerations on
which the court let the defendants go
on Il fine merely. 1t was also stated
that the combination during its eX-
iSt2nVc had increased the wages of the
glass blowers and as Il matter of fact
the directors IN 'nuteS disclosed the
adoption Of ON" resolution increaSi ing
wages ~. per cent. Whether this
vas carried ont ot not did not appear.
but 1T all events US the combination
had earned about 800 per cent. profit
on its capital stock during the year Oh
its eXiStancC, an increase of 12l. per
a so entirely dependent upon the con-
tnucd existence Of the combination
as to justify Il reduction of 30 per cent.
in wages upon the dissolution of the
combination # the rumorcd action
should prove to be suhStantiatGd by
fact it would indicate q very mistaken
lcniency on the part of the court in
imposing sentence, which it is hoped
would not be followed on any other
similar occasion"