The Cairo bulletin., 1910-06-21
UNLAWFUL COMBINATION
Armour. Swift and Morris Charged
With Conspiracy to Control
Prices Of Stock. Poultry,
Eggs, Meats, Etc.

f
tackled are Armour Packing Company
1 Morris and Company. Swift and Com,
Ipany. Hammond Packing Company
land st. Louis Dressed Beef and Pro-
vision company.
| The Armour. Swift and Morris COM
ipanies are charged with violating the
ANTITRUST law and conspiracy and the
Hammond and St. Louis Dressed Beef
land Provision companies, as sub
sidiary companies of the National
Packing Company with conspiracy TO
lcontTol the business in Missouri.
The five companies named in two
petitions which ask that the corpora
| lions be excluded from all corporate
rights, that their licenses be forfeited
and that all or such portion of their
property as the court may deem prop
| er be confiscated or in lieu thereof
fine be imposed.
Armour, Swift and Morris are
charged with having entered into a
| conspiracy in 1909 to control the
prices to be paid by dealers in live
stock, poultry, butter, eggs, dairy and
horticultural products, to control the
tnrices to be paid by retail and whole,
| sale dealers for dressed meats and
Ito control the prices to be paid by
| all retail and wholesale dealers for
butter, eggs. poultry, game, dairy and
agricultural products and by-products
from the business of slaughtering live
lstock.
These companies" the petition
says. entered into trust to unlaw
| fully regulate. fix and control the
prices at which dealers should sell
and OFFER to sell to the consumer and
others all dressed meats and eggs,
poultry ami other products and to
control the prices to be paid for such
PARTICLES, when so regulated, and to un-
lawfully limit the trade In all products
with view to lesson. restrict limit
and destroy trade and full competition
and in the purchase and sale OF beef
products, poultry, butter and eggs.
THAT in pursuance OF an unlawful
TRUST the corporations have met and
agreed upon and fixed from week to
week and day to day. an agreed price
paid and to be paid by all persons
lfor live stock and products which
ishould be purchased, sold or offered
flor sale in Missouri: that the prices
lat which the products were to be sold
were unlawfully fixed by means OF
which competition In the purchase
land sale of meat products has been
llessened, restricted and destroyed. +,
The second count of the petition
charges that the three packing COM
panies conspired to restrain trade and
destroy competition In the purchase
and sale Of meat products. live stock
poultry. butter and eggs by fixing a
price to be paid by all the members
of the alleged agreement and conspir
ing to control the bushes OF buying
selling and dealing in packing house
products.
Continuing the petition says:
Through these agreements trade
commerce and competition In the pur
chase and sale of packing house pro
ducts have been restrained and the
companies have obtained control Of
and monopolized, to the exclusion o.
fall others, the business of buying, sell
ing and dealing in of commodities
products of packing houses
1.-THE alleged absorption of the Ham
lrnond and st. Louis Dressed Bee
tprovision companies by the Nationa.
packing company Ii said In the peti
ton Of the attorney general to hav'
taken place in September 1909. The
Hammond and st. louis companies
lare charged with having entered int
AN unlawful agreement with other,
Engaged in meat packing for the pur
lpose of restricting competition ant
Iprevent lawful trade.
The National Packing Company, tn,
Information filed In the court toda,
lalleges, was chartered in New Jerse,
4 In 1902 with capital stock of SIS
Il 100000 to engage in meat packing an,
2 selling and to hold stock of any othe
I corporation.
h The National Packing Company
n the petition says. was not organize,
3 in good faith for the purpose of EN-
n gaging in the business authorized b.
!. its charter, but as corporate schem
Z. to effect an unlawful trust among til
" Hammond and st. Louis Dressed Bee
n, and Provision companies, and numel
Gus other corporations, individual
= and partnerships engaged in the sam
a. business in Missouri and throughou
er the United States with view I
\. lessen, restrict limit and destroy trad
y and competition in the purchase an
= sale OF all packing house products /
Y. which the Hammond and st. LouI
e and other companies were dealing an
Z, flor limiting the amount and quantit
a ,of packing house products sold an
w offered for sale In Missouri. an