The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-03-04
Government Makes Complaint
Against General Electric
Company and Others.
PETITION TELLS HOW THE
CITIZENS ARE FLEECED
Most Important Antitrust
Prosecution SO Far
Undertaken.

CLEVELAND, Ohio, Jan. 3-Follow~
ing consultation between W. S. Ken
yon, assistant United States attorney
general, and United States District At
torney ". l.. Day, here today, Attor-
ney Day, representing the government,
filed suit againS the General Electric
company Of Schenectady, n. Y, and
others, alleging an unlawful comblna
tion and a conspiracy in restraint of
trade.
The specific charge is that the Ma
tional Electric Lamp company was pro-
NOTED by the defendants for the pur-
post of monopolizing the trade in car"
bon flament electric incandescent
lights. The petition alleges that the
National Electric Lamp company con-
trolls 81 per cent of that business.
The National Electric Lamp com.
pany, incorporated under the laws of
New Jersey, has its offices In Cleve-
land
Injunction Is Asked.
The petition asks that the National
Electric Lamp company be enjoined
from voting the stock of, or receiving
any dividends from the thirty odd cor
porat tions alleged to have been acquired
and controlled by 1t; that the other
companies be enjoined from paying
dividends to the National Electric
Lamp company; that the General Elec-
tric company, which, the petition says,
controls the holding company, be en-
Joined from using its stock In that com
pany; that existing agreements between
the companies be voided and that they
be forbidden TO exercise control of for
eiCn patents or use the same to sup
press competition.
The petition charges that the com
bination organized alleged independent
companies to sell inferior lamps SO as
to hurt the trade of the real lnde
pendents and that the price OF lamps
sold by The alleged trust to United
States customers is IL cents, while the
same are sold abroad for 10 cents
The petition states that 81 per cent
of S0,000.000 lamps sold yearly fol
S1S 100000 are sold by the comblna
ton.
other Suits to Follow.
The suit relates only TO an alleged
combination and conspiracy In the manu-
faCture and sale OF incandescent lamps
Other separate actions against combina-
tons alleged TO involve Illegal agree
ments relating to the manufacture and
sale of practically every other eiectrl-
OF incubation in the department of jus
| tice for months,
Whether they will be brought in court
| probably depends upon the outcome o!
| the suit just filed
The government's investigation dates
| back TO May, 1905, when The navy de-
partment invited bids for furnishing $40;
o0O incandescent lamps. Fourteen bids
were received and thirteen OF them were
| identical. s50,6S1.23, Investigation devel-
| oped that each year So,ooo,oOo incan.
states, valued at about $4,000. 900.
| The defendants in the suit filed today
are charged with controlling the manu-
| facture and sale of 81 per cent OF these
Unlawful Prices Fixed.
| The acts of which the government com
plain began August 4. 1896. when the de
| PENDANTS organized an ASSOCIATION cailec
the Incandescent Lamp Manufactur-
| ers In December OF that year and sub
| sequen,y, it, Is charged, unlawful price
fixing agreements were made.
The petition declares that In 1901 there
| were seven independent lamp companies
| and the Incandescent Lamp Mapufac
| turers determined TO crush absolutely al
competition then existing. or which
should later arise. and formed the Ma
| tional Electric Lamp company of New
| Jersey, which proceeded TO buy contro
OF all existing independent companie:
| save one.
| The petition seeks to show that as soor
as the patents ON the old style carbon
| Blament lamp expired. III 1894. monop
oly of trade was effected. although the
| right to make, use ana sell Dscl1De Tree
| 10 all as a matter of law. The introduc
| tion OF the so-called tungsten and tanta-
lum lamp adds another chapter TO th'
story. and the petition alleges the de
| PENDANTS have unlawfully acquired tho
| patents To that style OF lamp.
| Unfair competition. the sale of inferior
| lamps 10 customers of independent com
panics at greatly reduced prices. sale!
| of lamps under false brands anu othel
offenses are charged.
|