Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-12-07
CRIMINAL ACll0N IS
BROUGHT AT DETROIT
Thirty-two individuals Must Answer
In Court to the Accusation OF Form
ing an Unlawful Combine TO Control
Prices Of Enamel lronWare-Defen'
dants Give Bond.
CBy Associated Press,

antitrust campaign OF Attorney Gen
eral Wickersham shifted 10 Detroit
this week with the result that indict-
ments were returned by the federal
grand jury today against sixteen firms
ard 32 individuals alleged 10 have Sc
cured control of 81 per cent. OF the,
annual output OF enamel lrOnware,
bath tubs. sinks. lavatories. etc. in
the United States. The criminal pro
oeeding grew out of the suit to dis
solve the alleged combination. begun
by the gov eminent in the federal
court at Baltimore. hearings being
held in Chicago. Pittshurg and New
York within the last forty days. The
evidence adduced in the hearings of
the civil suit was presented to the
grand jury here by Edwin p. Gros-
venor. special assistant to the attor-
ney general. United States District
Attorney Frank II. Watson. of Detroit.
and Joseph Darling. special agent of
the department. of justice. Secret
hearing began here yesterday.
Extensive Control.
II 10 charged by the federal officials
that as the result of ten days meet
ing at Mt Clemens. Mich. last April.
a fund OF s. .000 was subscribed TO set
in notion a plan that resulted In CIV
ing to the defendants control OF six
teen manufacturers and nearly 400
jobbers. repre- enting an output of APP
proxifrately ten million dollars per
year Goth the civil suits started at
Baltimore and the criminal proceed
ings begun here Lave been instituted
under the Sherman antitrust law.
The defendant firms In the criminal
procs edings are as follows:
Firms Indicted.
STANDARD Sanitary Manufacturing
Company. Pittsburg, Pa; 4. Weiskit-
tcI e. Sons CrmDany, Baltimore; the
Barnes Manufacturing Company.
Mansfield Cnio: The Hahill Iron
Works. Chattanooga. Tenn; Colweli
Lead Company. New York City; The
Hayward Company. Warren. Ohio;
The Humphreys Manufacturing Com
pany. Mansfield. Ohio: kerner Man
/ ufacturing Company. Pitts burg; The
J. L. Mott Iron Works. New York
City: MoYay Walter Braddock.
Pa: The McCrum Howell Company.
New York City; The National Sani-
tary Manufacturing Company. Stem.
Ohio: Union Sanitary Manufacturing
Company Mobiles. Ind; l.. Wolf Man
ufacturing Company. CI--cago. H.;
Wheeling Enamel Iron Company,
Wheeling w. Va: United States San
itary Manufacturing Company. Pitts
I burr. Pa.
The individual defendants include
the presidents and other officers OF
the above concerns.
Restrain Trade
The two Indictment. against each
defand< contain six and four
counts. respectively. and charging
that the defendants controlling s. per
cent of the annual output combined
to restrain the trade OF manufactnr-
ers and Of jobbers o. plumbing sup
plies. by refusing to sell to iobbers
handling the goods Of so-called indie
pendents by the fixing of resale
prices. BY the division of the United
States into eleven zones and refus ing
10 sell % jobbers who would not main
tain the resale prices established by
the alleged agreement OF the defend
ants. " Is charged that ;he effect Of
thee resale prices is 20 make the
price Of the articles manufactured BY
the combination the same throughout
the country and eliminate the compe-
iifion Of iobbers as well as OF mann
fdcturerS.
Uniform Contracts
The indictments charge also that
the defendants compelled the jobbcrs
to enter into uniform contracts and
that all the defendants refused 10
sell to any jobbcr unless he would
sign such a contract
The government officials took the
ground thai evidence taken in the
civil iuif established that the defend
ants attempted to disguise their com
bination BY the subterfuEe Of par
CHASING the patents ON certain tools
and licensing certain firms 10 use
the tools.
The defendants AGAINST whom IN
dictments were found today were re-
quired 10 appear AZ once IN the Unit
ed States court here and give bond
for their appearance.