The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-09-28
Gov ern m en- t M a k e s
Fourth Move in Ma
ton w ide Attack.
CHARGES ARE
SENSATIONAL
Alleged That Trust, by Spy sys.
tenn, Blacklists and Other IL
legal Methods. Completely
Dominates Trade in at
Least Twenty States.
Injunction Asked.

Denver, Col. September 27.-Sensa-
tional charges that the so-called lum-
Der trust com, letely dominates the
! lumber trade of at least twenty States
by maintaining spy system, black
lists. divisions Of territory and other
alleged Illegal methods, conducted
through a central agency in Chicago
called the Lumber Secretaries Bureau
of Information. are made in an anti
| trust suit filed in the United States
court here to-day by the Department
of Justice.
This is the governments fourth
move in nation-w wide fight against
the lumber trust In addition to the
criminal indictments already standing
against the secretaries OF fourteen
lumber mems associations. Antitrust
suits under the Sherman law are now
pending against the Michigan Retail
Eastern States Retail Lumber Dealers
| Association.
Asks Injunction.
The Secretaries Bureau and the
! Colorado and Wyoming Lumber Deal
| ors' Associations are defendants in tho
action filed to-day. The government
asks the court to enjoin the bureau
| - oiAi continuing espionage upon lun-
! Der men by paid spies and circulating
checklists" and other CONFIDENTIAL in
formation" 1t asks that the Colorado
and Wyoming Association be enjoined
from contributing to the aid of the
bureau.
Lumber dealers associations in about
twenty States are named In the bill! as
| members OF the Secretaries Bureau,
but are not named as defendants in
/ Cti -
I rious lumber associations represented
| in the bureau We're indicted recently
! in Chicago. under the criminal sections
| OF the Sherman law.
| The government charges that tho
operation of the alleged conspiracy
| between the lumbermen and the Sec
| retaries' Bureau has eliminated all
! competition for the trade OF the con-
sumer. except among retail yards.
1t is charged that a dealer is pre-
! vented from soliciting or competing
! for business in the territory of an
! other; that contracting builders and
other large consumers are prevented
| from buying at wholesale; that lum-
her dealers who have not obeyed the
! "ethics" prescribed by the organiza-
! tion have been watched by detectives
! from the central bureau and the
I irregular" sales published to other
members OF the association; that they
| have been "blacklisted" and havs
(! found 1t difficult to continue business.
/ The effect of all this. the government
| alleges, has been to fix prices and re-
strain trade.
| The bill is replete with allegations
| of threats and intimidations said to
| have been practiced upon manufao,
turers. wholesalers and the so.called
| "unethical" The government also al
leges that each of the following lum-
Der associations. in addition to the
! Colorado and Wyoming. are repre-
! sented in the clearing house."
| Northwestern Lumber Mems Associ-
| alton, Southwestern Lumber Mems As
| ISOLATION, Michigan Retail Lumber
Dealers Association. Indiana Retail
Lumber Dealers Association. Ohio Lum-
Der Dealers Association. Illinois Re
| tail Lumber Dealers Association, Wis
| consln Humber Dealers Association.
Nebraska Lumber Association. West
ern Retail Lumber Dealers Association,
Retail Lumber Dealers Association OF
Tennessee. Georgia and Alabama; Mis-
s!ssippi and Louisiana Retail Lumber
Association, Pennsylvania Lumber
/ Dealers Association, the Lumbermen's
Association of Texas. and the Retail
Lumber Association of Western Ten
| nessee and kentucky.
Acts ms Clearing House.
customers lists" made up annually.
! the government charges, designate from
| which manufacturers and wholesalers.
| members of the allied associations are
| permitted to buy their supplies. The
Lumber Secretaries Bureau, acting as
/ the ''clea ring house" is alleged to DC
| the medium through which the alleged
( blacklists. etc, have been furnished 10
all dealers in the combined associa
! lions.
+! The government holds that by at
| lacking the bureau the Department Of
Justice expects to strike at the root
! of the alleged restraints which are
said to make costly the distribution
| of lumber from the manufacturer TO
! the consumer.
Attorney General Wickersham and
| his special assistant, Clark McKercher,
| have been working more than year
gathering the evidence upon which the
| suits are brought.