The San Francisco call., 1910-03-08
GRASP|NG FISH
COMBINE WILL
BE PROSECUTED
State Senate Committee Will
Ask Authorities TO Begin
Criminal Proceedings
Existence of Trust Fully Estab-
IiShed by Investigation,
Declares Wolfe

trict attorney Of this city aud county
them. 10 immediately begin proceed
inEs against the fish combine. the ex-
isfeDce Of which we think has been es
fabIiShed in tho evidence taken before
tho committee up 10 this date We
think thst criminal prosecutions should
start fOrthNiGh.-STATE SENATOR r.
T. WOLFE, chairman Of tho senate COM
mittee on the high cost of living.
- have been Partic5 pating in the in
Hestigation by the committee in the
hope Of developing sufficient facts 10
Justify prosecutions. The evidence al
ready produced points TO an understand
Ing or combination between certain of
rho Wholesale fish dealers and VIC know
that evidence along these lines viii vet
he developed. As soon as the exam-
ination of these Witnesses has been
completed such actions will he begun
the evidence shows to he proper
aud through these we confidently ex-
pect 10 break up The combine and open
opportunity TO the independent fish
dealer. with an abundance of fish in
tbe waters about us The supply is so
manipulated that fish now arc regarded
almost a. a luxury and sold at a price
beyond the reach Of the masses of the
people. Most vigorous efforts will he
made 10 stamp out this evil and punish
those responsible for the conditions,
a bomb was exploded yesterday
morning in the midst Of the wholesale
dsh dealers Of this city. who have
maintained combination since the
IRE TO kin off honest competition and
thus permit them to sell fish at prices
so exorbitant as 10 make the food
laNury.
The state senate committee appointed
70 investigate the high cost of living
announced that it would call upon the
district attorney, or the attorney gen
eraL or both Of them. to imm ediately
begin proceedings 10 prosecute the
members OF the trust
IN less than one weeks time the
committee which is composed of Sen
atOrs Edward J. Wolfe Richard J.
Information against the wholesalers
of such damning nature TO justify
Them in demanding criminal prosecu-
lions.
GRAND JURY TO INVESTIGATE
District Attorney Fickert said he
woulI Immediately place the case be-
fore the grand jury.
The wanton destrthtion Of fresh FISH
by the wholesalers to prevent poor peo-
pie proiting by glut in the market
and the coercion OF the retailers into
dealing with only members of the trust,
SO aroused the committee that the de-
cisIon was reached yesterday morning
after Frank Faraone, as exclusively
.foret0ld by The Call Sunday, testi-
Ged that the trust had stopped him
from buying halibut direct from Puget
-ound and that Frank Bellante of the
American fish and oyster company, a
t1snbcr Of the combine. had been fined
$50 for selling him fish half a cent
under the combines price.
The attorney general and the district
attorney viii be asked TO proceed
agafnst the members of the combine
for violating the Cartwright anti-trust
act. which provides punishment of a
fine of $50 TO $4,000 or Imprisonment
from six months TO one year, or both
fine and Imprisonment. 1t is also pro-
vlded that fine of $50 may be imposed
tinued IN existence
Witnesses who testified before the
committee last week gave the following
firms as members of the combine:
a Pa ladini
Western fish company.
American fish and oyster company.
International fish company
New san Francisco FISH company.
BisRini & Co.
California FISH company
INDEPENDENTS SUING
The Portola fish company. an inde- |
pendent company which was forced out
of business by the tactics of the COM i
bine. is now suing tho members of the /
combine for $4,000 damag ges for con- /
spiHscy. The witnesses before the COM 4
mlttee have testified that Paladini and |
rhe Western fish company. who control |
the catch of sole, sanddabs and other |
deep sea fsh of this coast refused to |
sell sole and sanddabs to those retailers |
who persisted m buying what fish they |
could Of the Portola company.
Frank Faraone brought the investi- |
cation TO a climax when he testified |
yesterday morning regarding the oper-
atiOns OF the trust.
"One day I bought p box Of halibut |
from the American fish and oyster COM /
pany." said Faraone," and then went to |
the California fish company. I was
folding Up the American ISn ana ONS-
ter company's tag for the halibut and
putting IL IN my pocket when the rep
resentative of the California company
deliberately stole IL from me and took
81 TO the Western fish company 1 heard
from Frank Bellante of the American
FISH and oyster company the next day
that the Western fish company had
hned him $50 for giving me fish a half
cent under price.
We bought halibut direct from the
sound up to three or four months ago,
but I was told that If did not stop
could not get any more fish down town
The international fish company said
that the Western fish company had
served notice on them that we could
get no more fish down town if we
bought direct. / was getting halibut
from to 3 cents per pound cheaper by
buying direct from the sound"
DEMANDS PROSECUTIONS
As a result of these disclosures of
the tactics of the combine Senator
Wolfe made the following demand for
criminal prosecutions:
Il think the committee is about sat
isfed. The committee viii ask the dis
trict attorney of this city and county
or the attorney general, or both of