The Sentinel=record., 1911-05-04
TRUSTS ARE
 UNDER FIRE
STEEL, SUGAR AND WOOLEN COM. PANIEs UNDER CONGRESS
 SIGNAL PROBE.
Congress Strikes an investigating Trend and Opens Up on the Giant Coporations-Committees
 to Investigate.

Washington May 3.-The investIga ton trend of congress took a wide range today for inquiries into the af- fairs of the United States Steel Cor poration, the American Sugar Rein ing Company and the American Wool en Company were placed on the pro gram of the democratic house. The shoe industry interests were under fire and a senate committee on ex- penses opened the way for decision as to reinvestigation of the charges against Senator Lorimer.
 Resolutions. directing that special committees probe the records to de termine whether any of the first three named big corporations mentioned are operating in violation of the antitrust, interstate commerce or national bank ing laws, have been started on the legislative ways.
 The steel trust resolution. the crea- ton of Representative Stanley, of Kentucky, was approved today by the house committee on rules and will be reported to the house tomorrow.
 Representative Hardwick, of Geor- gia, is author of the resolution pro- vidlng for inquiry into the American Sugar Refining Company, and this will be considered by the rules committee tomorrow If the committee has time it may also consider a similar resolu- tion, submitted by Representative Francis of Ohio directing that a spe cial committee of five be named 10 inquire into the American Wooen Company. Whether there is trust in wool in this country is information desired by men interested in the wool en schedule. soon to be revised
 Opposition attacking the proposed removal of the duty on shoes. as pro- vided in the free list bill, developed simultaneously at the senate and house ends of the capitol
 While large shoe manufacturers testified to the senate finance com mittee that they were forced to keep prices high because they were in the grip of a shoe machinery trust, Rep ersentative Weeks, on the floor of the house, was praising the concern which controls all the shoe machinery.
 He declared that because the United Shoe Machine Company refused to sell any machine outright, only leas ing it to the manufacturer, the latter was, enabled to engage in business with less capital and that the ten dency of this method was to increase manufactures.
 Senator Bailey told the manufac turers that in his opinion their con tracts with the trust could be proved illegal that, in spite of the shoe ma chine company's patent rights, he thought their action could be con strued as an effort to restrain trade and he declred the attorney general might make some trouble for the trust afters he had learned of the statements at today's hearings.
 Representative Difenderfer, of Pennsylvania, today introduced reso- lutions calling on the secretary of the navy and secretary of war to furnish congress with all information relating to shoe contracts for the army and navy prior to 1909. Similar resolutions introduced last week by Representa- tive Gardner were confined to 1909. 1910 and 1911 The Gardner resolu- ton regarding navy shoe contracts was passed by the house yesterday and the committee on military affairs is about to report favorably on the proposed inquiry into army contracts.
 The inquiries were based upon charges made by MT. Difenderfer that one shoe manufacturing concern has a monopoly on government contracts and has frozen out" all competition. The resolutions were referred respec- lively to the naval and the military committees.