New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-20
]. S. SUES LUMBERMEN
Continued from iivst page.

Cooney. Edwin D. MacMurray; Wa,aiqFI'
Wl lrE. ioh george G. LaveTXy; ,,,sm s. Van
Gief Ala" H cha sTf1"f fresdWsi R- GsT
penter Patrick Moore. James on M New
Davis and Thomas j. Crombie. all o. ''"
York. trustees. .,v.
The New Jersey Lumberman's Protective
Association and its officers and dir .ioo n,
The Building Material Mems Association ~,
westchester County and it's oncerS $50.
directors The Retail Lumberman ma
citation Of Philadelphia and its ofncsls "a
directors. The Lumber Dealers Ass S "a;
ton OF Connecticut and it's officers ana a.,
rectors. The Massachusetts, Retsn Lu'n a nd
pealers' Association and its ofiics,t esocia.
directors. Tho Lumber Dealers ass "a,
ton OF Rhode Island and its officers anq ~, e,
rectors. The Lumber Exchange OF the D IA
trict o. Columbia. its officers memoer's, ",'
committeeman. Tho Retail Lumberniea,,n I'd
Association of Baltimore. its ofncetS anu
directors.
In its bill the government says tha'
the growth Of certain kinds Of timer
from which such lumber is manufactured
is 50 distributed that no one state con-
tains all Of the varieties demanded ana
required by the trade. so that interstate
commerce in this commodity becomes ao-
solutely necessary.
Alleged offence Began in 1902.
The alleged conspiracy was begun IN
1902 when the Eastern Retail LUMBER
Dealers Association was incorporated
The government says that the DEFEND
ants have by means of written anu
verbal agreements. between themselves
and other lumber associations and cor
porations. or with individuals. esta blished
and maintained arbitrary divisions anu
classifications of the lumber trade in IN
terstate commerce to prevent the con-
sumner from buying his supply where ne
chooses. The restriction, however. never
extended to the purchases made by 'ns
United States government. The CONF
plant continues:
The further purpose and effect OF sac %
classifcations have been ana are no" ,he
required supply OF lumber ana luH!pei
products from the said regular ana recoe,
nized retail merchant operating q reta ~
ward I'm the vicinity where such lufnoeI 10
Va be used. whereas, but for such unia".
full conspiracy, such consumer couiu puS
lumber from another retail dealer IN an
other state at reduced prices ana. tur'ne T. !,
10 prevent such consumer IN any 81 nc
states heretofore named from buying. SNIP
ping and receiving any LUMBER ana Iu,l
Der products from any Wnolesdle pcats
or manufacturer OF lumber doing business
m any OF the states heretofore named; ana
further 10 prohibit and prevent any whoIe-
Gale dealer in lumber or any manufacturer
Of lumber and lumber products IN any OF
the states heretofore named qu9tlng price,
for or selling and shipping such lumber ana
lumber products 10 any such consumer III
any Of the states heretofore named
The result Of such illegal rnethods; Wen
has been. is now. and will continue 10 be-
unlesc the aforesaid wrongful acts are re-
strained by order NJ this court. 10 close the
door OF the wholesale dealer and manu-
factrrer in all parts Of the United states 70
the consumer. and arbitrarily and unreason,,
ably 20 deprive such manufacturer ana
wholesaler, as aforesaid. Of the trade OF the
consumer residing in the territory covered
and corporations heretofore described and
named as defendants in this suit, except
through the medium of the retail yara
operafed BY the retail dealers aforesaid,
defendants herein and members of the trade
associations and corporations herein de-
scrlbed.
Although the National Wholesale
Lumber Dealers Association is not de-
PENDANT in this suit, the government
charges that il entered into an agree
ment with alleged conspirators and sent
out backlists which affected the lumber
trade of this country and Canada. BY
this wholesalers were directed not to sell
lumber to retail dealers who dealt with
retailers in wholesale quantities.
I Defendants Here Deny Charges.
The members of the New York Lumber
Trade Association were agreed last night
that there was no cause for the asser-
ton that the association was a trust.
and most Of them thought that the suit
would not bring much profit to the gov
eminent.
Chicago, May l9.--The governments suit
against the so-called Lumber Trust reveals
the extent 10 which the Department Of JUS
tice has investigated the marketing meth
DDS of the trust in the Middle West. 1t
became known to-day that for several
months secret agents from Washington had
| been working in nearly every state west OF
the Mississippi and in Illinois and Michigan,
| as well as in the Eastern territory covered
| by the New York suit, taking statements
| OF dealers and examining books and rec
ords Of the associations which are said ia
! control the trade.
A particularly bitter war has been waged
in the Middle West by retailers associa-
tions upon manufacturers and wholesalers
who have been selling direct 10 the con-
sumner through mail order houses. contract
ing builders and farmers cooperative
unions Several years ago about eighteen
members OF the Northwestern Zimmerman S
Association we're indicted in the United
States Circuit Court at Minneapolis, charged
with conspiracy in connection with the
campaign OF the Chicago retailers against
the mail order houses. The indictments
were dismissed upon technical grounds
Boston Nav i9-NeWs that the Massa-
chusetts Retail Lumber Dealers Associa-
ton had been named as one Of the defend
ants in the lumber suit surprised Horace
b. Shepard. Of this city. president OF the
wholesale lumber firm OF Shepard & Morse
and a former president OF the Massachu-
setts Wholesale Lumber Dealers Assoca-
ton M Shepard said that. SO far as he
knew, the Massachusetts Retail Lumber
Dealers Association vas practically a So
cial organization. the members OF which
met occasionally during the year for a din
ner.
Not for ten years, he said, had the asso-
citation attempted TO interfere in any way
with the business OF the wholesalers. His
own nrm, Mr. Shepard said. sold lumber as
il pleased, largely TO manufacturers. al
though on account of the yard and teaming
facilities his firm did not try to sell direct
10 the builders.
The Massachusetts Retail Lumber Deal
ers' Association discontinued the use OF the
so-called blacklists months ago We since