The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-06-28
Government, in Civil Suit, Al
Ieges That Periodical Pub
fishers Pact Is Illegal.
DISSOLUTION OF COMBINE
OBJECT OF PROCEEDINGS
Agents Forced to Discriminate
Against Journals Outside
the Clearing House"

NEW YORK, June 27.--A civil suit was
filed in the United States court today for
the dissolution OF the Periodical clearing
house and about a score of other maga-
zinc defendants The petition, filed by
District Attorney Wise, alleges unlawful
combination and conspiracy TO restrain
Interstate trade and foreign commerce In
magazine and other periodical publca-
tions.
The petition charges that the defend
ants. since July, 1909, have been engaged
In an illegal combination, dissolution OF
which Is asked for
The proceeding In equity is against The
Periodical clearing house Doubleday.
Page d. Co; Crowell Publishing company.
;. S. Mcclure & CO, Current Literature
publlshing company. Philips PUBLISHING sni, n
Judge company, Review of Reviews COM
pany. International Magazine company,
New Publication company. Butterick
company. New Idea Publishing company,
Ridgeway company American Home
Magazine company limited, hereinafter
y. Doubleday, Herbert S. Houston. Fred :
erick J.. Collins. Charles d. Lanier and
George Won Utassy.
The Periodical clearing house, In the pc
tition. is described as corporation cr-
ganlzed under the laws of the state Of
New York, carrying on business through
out the United States and foreign ma
tions, with It's offices and principal place
of business in this city. It's authorized
capital stock Is OF the par value OF $4,000,
consisting of twenty. shares of the par
value of 500 each, of which fourteen are
issued and outstanding.
The Suburban Press. New York cor
poration; Good Housekeeping. a Massa
ehusetts corporation. and Hampton's
Sether with the defendants. are the stock
holders OF record OF the defendant
periodical clearing house, Doubleday.
Collins, Houston, Janier and Won UtasSy
constitute its board of directors. and
Houston. VonSUtassy and Lancr are re-
spectively its president vice president
the periodical clearing house are officials
also of one or another of the defendant
corporations engaged in the publication
OF magazines.
1908. there were upwards OF 10000 cor
porations and individuals publishing and
selling periodicals In free compe tition. but
that following the organization OF the
periodical clearing house in July. 1909.
notes were sent TO subscription agencies
and agents notifying them that they
periodical clearing house If such agen-
cies intend to conduct further business
with the members OF said periodical
clearing house..
The petition then recitcs that the pc
riodical clearing house prepared so
called Official price list" of magazines
Ing sales OF subscriptions. and 1.-The
publishers wholesale price list"
The petition continues;
THE contracts force upon those agents
and require them 10 sell all periodicals
not listed in the aforesaid lists az regu-
]ation publication prices without any
reduction whatsoever. The publishers OF
many of the periodicals listed in said
lists have been and are willing that the
agencies shall sell their periodicals 70 the
public at prices less than those cd hv
the defendants in said price lists. but
said agencies have been and are pre-
vented by the aforesaid contracts from
selling such subscriptions at less than
the prices fixed by the defendants set
forth In said lists"
It Is alleged that the clearing house had
a system OF fines for offending agents