Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-11-17
GLASS TRUST"
To REDUCE
WAGES
WICKERSHAM INDIGNANT
AT RUM0RED ACTION
If True, He Says, it Would In
dicate Mistaken Leniency on
Part Of Court Which Recently
Fined Company,

rBy Morning Journal sneciai Leased Wirel
washington, Nov l6.--The depart
mont Of justice today took notice OF
a.. a.sswara2sr despatch from PittsourE
tf.at the corporations combined III
the so-called window glass trust
had served notice upon employees tha'
a wage reduction of thirty per cent
was me only condition under which
the factories could continue to oper-
ate
The despatch further said the cor
porations attributed this ultimatuih
directly TO the imposition by the led
eral court Of fines upon the company
and upon its officers and directors
individually.
The department tonight issued
statement outlining its Wow or the
matter ana incidentally intlmatlns
that the reported action Of the eorpof-
ations. If suhstantiated would inji-
cate "a very mistaken leniency on the
mart Of the court, which 1t ~ nopeu
would not be followed on any similar
occasion" This intimation Is inter-
nretad here as indicating an intention
10 insist in similar cases upon Jolh'
sentences rather than fines.
Attorney General Wickersham ex-
rreesed Indignation at such state
lnents and strong doubt OF us rell-
ability. ,.ot
rhe statement OF the department
says ~,
nartmont shows the lmperil WINDOW
! Glass company was organized IN Aprll'
! 1a0e II manufactured no glass, but
was purely selling agency, buying
/ the entire OUTPUT of fiity or more
manufacturers Of window glass III
some ten different states.
THE agreement between II ana thf
manufacturers from which = h"esilN
nrovided that no glass should be soio
b, The Inter except To the lmeflal
company The stock of the Imperial
company was divided among the man
ufacturcrs,
at was not until the company mao
/ brought into combination with II, un-
der .uch contracts. manufacturers %
about ninety-seven per cent oi ll' en-
tire hand blown window glass mann
faenlrod in the United States that y
was determined to commence busi-
ness # began business In January,
1910.
nv October 1. 1910, prices hnd
been advanced seventy per cent over
what they were in April 1909. Inc
loyidence showed that in the first
three months OF its operation the I'm
perial company earned net profits
equal to it's entire capital stock.
The largest advance In prices was
subsequent to this initial period and
1.-The evidence showed that in tho ter
lmonths of It's business. the combina'
tion riaared about 81 GOO 900 or four
hundred per cent on its capital stock
"It leased fifteen factories at high
rental FOR the sole purpose ot keeping
them closed and removing their pro
duct from the market. rs expenses
during this period were Sl3SoV0 iol
one year tor leases and watchmen %
these closed down factories
"Indictmchts were found agains
fle nfrceu directors and officers o
the company, each one of whom wai
either president or officer of on'
company; who had entered into agree
ments to sell their product only 70 th'
case set for trial In Pittsburg on Mon
dSv November a.
~
were made to the attorney general OF
behalf of the defendants suggesting
that they would plead nolle contendr
the subtle equivalent Of a plea %
= guilty. provided the attorney genera
would agree 10 recommend 60 th'
court that only fines be inflicted.
"Thisc was refused. as the ottornc'
general considered, and 50 stated q
The defendants counsel that the com
bination was one ef the most diagram
ana intentional violations of the anti
trust laws which had been brought Z
the attention of the department.
The attorney general further IN
formed counsel that he had given ~
. rectlons 20 haze the cases pressed To-
conviction and 20 urge the imposition
I of sentences Of imprisonment upoi
the principal offenders IN case o
conviction.
.'The following day the defendant
lappcared in court In Pittshurg ant
interposed pleas OF nolle cOntendr
lame despite the opposition Of the dis
trlct attorney and Special Assistan
lGrosvcnor, the court only fined eacl
. Of the individual defendants $500 am
the corporation $4,000 and costs.
1T was stated 20 the court that IA
/ combination had been dissolved an
this was one Of the considerations ol
, which the court let the defendants q
. merely on a fine. 10 also was state
, that the combination in its eXistenc
hnd Increased the wages of the glas
, blowers and us matter ~ fact. di
! roctors' minutes disclosed the adon
, ton Of one resolution increasing wae
- twelve and half per cent
: whether this WAS carried out o
not did not appear but at an event
, as the combination had earned abnu
/ four hundred per cent profit on %
! capital stock during the year of il
existence. an Increase OF twelve an
, ono-half per cent in wages can hardl
/ DO regarded as so entirely dependcr
|, upon the continued existence of tu
4 combination as to Justify reduetio
4 81 thirty per cent in wages upon %
= dissolution OF the combination.
4 "Ir the rumored action should prov
!. 10 be- suhetantiated bs' fact it Woul
: indicate the very mis2ken ionicnc
/, on the part of the court Ia imposin
] sentence which Il Is hoped would M