The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1911-08-05

coM5IEtATlo IN tESTRlNT OF
TRADE PlTTsBI RG AND WEST
/ VIRGINIA FlE Ids IRE AFFECT
ED BY THE Proc cEDllRE
COLUMBUS, Aug. Suit waa
filed by the United States goSernment
Inn the federal circuit court yesterday
against six railroad comnafies and
three coal mining concerns Charging
q combination inrestraint 81 tfadeand
asking that the combination be en-
Joined from continuing business
The government charges tint the
Hooking Valley railroad analgama.
TONS ownership OF the caIiital stock
OF the Toleda and Ohio eeniral the
Kanawha and Michigan and the
zanesville and Western Tcads and lis
connection with5the mining concerns
named has crushed comp titIon
The defendant comp aIlies are
Lake Shore and Mtchiga Southern
railroad.
Chesapeake, and Ohio railroad
Hooking Valley railroad.
Toledo and Ohio Central FailFoad.
Kanawha and Michigan railroad
GAINESVILLE and gYest tetf railroad.
Sunday Creek Coal company
Continental Coal company
Kanawha and Hoe king Coal and
Coke company,
Affects West Virginia.
The governments 3 pet itiol alleges
that the combination thus formed q
ifects four OF the great coal mining
fields. namely, the Pitts sbtiFg the West
Virginia. the KanaWha Valley and the
Hooking Valley.
It is alleged that the two railroads
are affiliated and that the three coal
companies are also, not only among
themselves, but with the companies,
The Hooking Valley the Toledo and
Ohio Central, the Kama " lii and Mlchl-
gan and the zanesyille ana Western
were until recently under control of
the Trunk Line ssndieale
/ The sunday Greek Con- compansis
ia holding company controlling HE
Continental Coal Gollp aiid OTHER
companies owning properties Ii Vir-
ginia West irgipia ma Ohio,
ofefnnsents nrpose is 20 pre-
vent the chang ii ownership agreed
on, last year sheif3tlIe trunk line syn
.dtcate turned over the four RAILROADS
and their affiliated co6l pInpalles iq
the Lake Shore and AGiciiiehn SoiIkl-
ern and the Ghesapea Ee aud tihiofle
latter taking charge 6f the l0clAN
Valley which Is the priieipa1 ore
the four roads.
The suit seeks further to- breakup
entirely the alleged combination be.
tween the four roads and the Silnday
Creek Company and its subsldiafy
coal companies, which had been COM
planned of by the Ohio coal operators
for two or three years, and Which ms
been the basis for i1nunierabie salts
brought in county and Tinted States
courts in Ohio.
Coal Operators Back Fslhiik
Back OF the fight has been ne ohIo
coal operators as0ctatioils 81 which
Howard Mannington, of Columbus Is
secretary. He laid the case before
the Department Of Justice and PIesl;
dent Taft more than a year q 30 and
urged that action be brought and tle
government has been fliye stigatlQg
conditions since that time
The whole suit hinges on ihe Hoelt
ing Valley railroads The otiicialssvi
his company, It Is alleged, We're
placed in offices CORE pondlng %
those held in the parent company soon
after the Hooking Valley road gained
control of the capital stocl pl sub
salaries, and, according 70 The petl'
tlon, were instructed 70 Operate tlle
roads along the same lines q 8 the pa-
rent company had been mana
The company then set about ccn-
trolling the larger coal Companies mud
succeeded in placing the Continental
Coal Company, which owns 2SiQOV
acres OF coal lands In the apeklng
Valley district, on Its list along With
The Kanawha and Hooking " Hey Cpll
Company. The Sunday Creek Coal
Company was formed as blind Ilie
government charges to permit the
Lake Shore and Michigan Southern
railroad and the Chesapea He and Ohio
along with the four Ohio cotnpanles,
= .