The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-05
Companies and Individuals Are Sued Under the
 Sherman Law
SHIPS MAY BE DENIED
 CLEARANCE AT PORTS
Charge Of Conspiracy Is Made In That Certain Companies Monopolize Steerage Traffic On the
 Atlantic


 United States circuit court under the sherman antitrust law against 13 of the principal transatlantic carriers, which are estimated to control 90 per cent of the steerage traffic, worth to them $55,000,000 a year. Twelve off cers of the defendant companies, all resident in America, are named as CO., defendants. These 13 companies the government charges, entered into m Illegal contract February 5, 1908, at London. by which they constituted themselves the Atlantic conference With power to apportion all traffic pro rata, impose heavy fines on members of the conference for violation of any articles of agreement and wage com petition against all lines outside the conference. As a result, 1t is alleged the Russian volunteer feet plying be- tween New York and Liberia, was driven out of business and the Russian American line was forced to make terms with the conference and enter it's membership.
 Suit was brought by Henry A. Wise, United States district attorney. acting under instructions from United States Attorney General Wickersham. Tn it's petition the government prays the court to "enjoin the defendants from further agreeing, combining, conspiring to injure or destroy the business of carrying steerage passengers between points in the United States and Flu rope. Further that each, every and all of the defendant steamship lines be nif of their vessels at or from the port of New York or any other port of entry in the United States or any of it's pos sessions so long they shall con- tinue to operate under the aforesaid alleged unlawful combination or con spiracy.'' Defendant Companies The defendant companies are: Allan Steamship company. capitalized at ss.22o.- coo; plies between Liverpool. Boston and Philadelphia and Glasgow and Montreal.
 International Mercantile Marine com pany, holding company capitalized at Sl2O 0O0,00o
 International Navigation company. a subsidiary of the International Mercantile Marine company.
 Anchor Line, capitalized at $2S75.Oo0, which plies between New York and Glas- gow.
 Canadian Pacific Railroad company capitalized at s200,000O0o, which operates between Montreal and Liverpool
 Cunard Steamship company with cap tal of 000, which has service be- tween Liverpool and New York and Bos- ton.
 British and North Atlantic Steam Nav gation company, a subsidiary of the In- ternational Mercantile Marine company
 Hamburg American Line, with capital of $31, ,250.000. whose service is from Ham, burg to New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore
 Holland-American Line capital unavail- able, which runs steamers between Rot terdam and New York. r
 The North German Lloyd company, cap-' ital unavailable, which runs between Bre- men and New York.
 The Red Star Line, subsidiary of the International Mercantile Marine com pany, which operates between Antwerp and New York
 White Star Line, a subsidiary of the In- ternational Mercantile Marine company, with service between New York and Liverpool
 Russian East Asiatic Steamship com pany. capital unavailable. which plies be- tween Libau and New York.
 Defendant Individuals
 The defendants. all officers of the de- fendant companies, but not all of whom could be identified here tonight are:
 Phillip A. s. Franklin, vice president of the International Mercantile Marine company.
 Emil L. Boaz. general manager in America and a director of the Hamburg American line and many other transpor- tation companies.
 Gustav Schwab, general manager in America and a director of the North German-Lloyd Dock company.
 Gustav Schwab. Jr.
 Charles P Sumner, American agent of Cunard Steamship company.
 Alexander E. Johnston, senior member of A. F. Johnson & Co.,, passenger agents for the Scandinavian company
 James R. Alexander of Boston, director of the Allen line.
 H. F. VonPost, vice president and a director of the North German-Loyd Dock company.
 William Coverly, president of and a partner in the firm of Henderson Broth CTS. general agents for the Anchor line.
 John Lee.
 Adrian Guips.
 Max Straus.
 Division Of Traffic
 The complaint charges that the defend ants flor some time past have been en- gagged In the United States, and particu- larly in the southern district of New York; in an unlawful combination to restrain part of the commerce of the United States with foreign nations and the apportion- ment of this commerce. with the excep- tion of traffic consisting of steerage pas sengers forwarded through the Straits of Gibraltar, Is given by the government as follows:
 Westbound- Per Cent Allen Line ........................... .62 Anchor Line ...................-....... $40 Cunard Line ........................... 3.75 Hamburg American ................... 19.6l North German Lloyd ................ 2G.53 HollandAmerican ..................... 6.63 +Red Star ............................ 97t "White Star ........................... S.69 American .........................s.. 6.6S "Dominon .......................... 4.47