The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-03-04
GOvERNNEhTFltES
SUIT TO SMASH
ANOTHER TRUST
Starts Action in U. s, Court in Cleve
land Against 50 Lamp and Elec'
trical Supply Manufacturing
Companies.
1t Is Claimed Corporations Involved
Handle 81 Per Cent of Business
of Country.


of the largest trust busting suits
brought by the United States was nj
ed in the United States court here
today against 35 lamp and electrical
supply manufacturing companies.
Twelve of the companies are located
In Ohio and four In Cleveland. II Is
alleged the companies involved nan
die 81 per cent Of the business OF the
country.
The suit was fled by United States
District Attorney Day at the REQUEST
OF Assistant United States Atty-uen.
Kenyon. The petition charges that
the trust Is organized particularly TO
control the manufacture. sale and
price of incandescent lamps.
The companies named In the petit
ton are the General Electric Co., OF
New York; the National Electric
Lamp Co., the Brilliant Electric Co.,
the Buckeye Electric Co.. and the
General lncandescent Lamp Co., all OF
Cleveland; the Banner Electric Co., OF
Youngstown. o.; the Colonial Electric
Co., OF Ravenna, o.; Economy Elec-
trio Co., Warren. o.; Fostoria Elec-
trio Lamp Co., Fostoria. o.: the New
York & Ohio Co.. Warren, o.; Shelby
Electric Co., Shelby. o.; Standard
Electrical Manufacturing Co., WaG.
rem, o.: Sterling Electric Manufacture
ing Co.. Warren. o.; Electric Special
ty Co., Warren, o.; Fostoria Bulb 4
Bottle Co., Fostoria, o.; the Libbey
Glass Co.. Toledo, o.; the Westing-
house Electric Il Manufacturing Co..
Pittsburg; the Westinghouse Lamp
Co., Pittsburg; Aetna Electric Co.,
New York; American Incandescent
Lamp Co., New York, with xheadQuars
tiers at Philadelphia; Bryan Marsh
Co., New York; Capitol Electric Co.,
Denver, Colo; Columbia Incandescent
Electric Co., st. Louis; Franklin Elec-
trio Mfg. Co., Hartford, Conn; indie
pendent Incandescent Lamp Co., st.
Louis: Kentucky Electrical Co.,
Greensboro, KY; Liberty Electrical
Mfg. Co., Pittsburg; Munder Elec-
trical Co., Central Falls, r. L.; Sun
beam Incandescent Lamp Co, Chi
cago; Gilmore Electrical Co., Boston;
York Electric q Machine Co., sHork.
Pa. ;.Dwyer Machine Co., Lynn, Mass.
Corning Glass works, Corning. N. Y:
Phoenix Glass Co.. Pittsburg. and
Providence Gas Burner Co.. Provi-
dence, r. l.
II is alleged that the formation of
the trust started soon after 1904, the
year In which the United States pat.
ents on carbon filament'' incandes-
cent lamps expired. BY August, 1906,
IL 10 charged. the lamp output Was in
the hands OF q specific combination.
= In 1901, 1t Ia charged, the National
Electric Lamp Co., of Cleveland, was
organized. az a holding company for
the purpose of consolidating all de
PENDANTS then members OF the hide
pendent Lamp Manufacturers asso-
citation, except the General Electric
Co. and the Westinghouse Co. Six
competitors started up but were soon
forced into the combination, 1t il
charged.
The National Electric Lamp Co. was
formed with capital of $3.50. 000. by
restraining trade and competition and
forcing high prices. II is said, its prof
its were enormous. - ~. q
Dividends In 1904 were $50, 600: IN
1909, $4,000; In 1910, 100000. On
Nov. 30, 1910, the company held an
undivided surplus OF $1,43s, 1883.
In addition to cash dividends, stock
holders had received stock dividends
Of 31,500,00 In July, 1909, and of 81
100000 on March 5, 1910. The capital
il now listed as 100000
or the stock In this holding COM
pany, 75,2 per cent Is owned by the
General Electric Co., II IL charged.
The remaining 24.S per cent is owned
by b. J. Tremaine, J. b. Grouse, j.
Robert Grouse and f. 8. Terry, on
GERS of the company. but the General
Electric Co. has an option on all this
stock.
As an instance Of the results of the
alleged combination, IL 10 cited that
I'm May, 1908, the United States re-
ceived IL bids for 340. 1000 incandescent
lamps. or the II bids, Is were iden-
teal. the amount OF each being $780,
631.23. All 13 bidders are charged
with being members of the combina-
ton.
As further result OF the combinar
ton. II Is charged that lamps which
sell in the United States, where the
combinations control is practically
complete, at IL cents each may be
purchased abroad, Of United States
manufacture, for approximately 10
cents each.