Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-05-04
CONGRESS STARTS
A GENERAL PROBE
Affairs of Steel, Sugar and Wool
en- Trusts Selected for
Inquiry.
SENATE OPENS ON LOR!MER
Opposite Ends of Capitol Hear
Divergent Views of the Shoe
Machinery Combine and
It's Methods.

Washington May 9.-The investiga ton
cay for inquiries into the affairs of the
nited States Steel corporation. the
American Sugar Refining company and
the American Woolen company were
placed on the program of the democratic
House. The big shoe industry interests
we're under fire and a Senate commit
tee on expenses opened the way for de-
cision as to reinvestigation of the
charges against Senator LorImer of I'LL
nois. Resolutions directing that special
committees probe the records to determine
whether any of the three first named big
corporations involved are operating in VIC.
lation OF the antitrust, interstate COM
merce or national banking laws have been
started on the legislative ways. The steel
trust resolution, tho creation of Repre-
sentative Stanley of Kentucky, was ap-
proved to-day by the House committee
on rules and will he reported to the House
to- morrow.
Representative Hardwick of Georgia is
author Of the resolution providing for in
luiry into the American Sugar Refining
company and this will be considered by
the rules committee tomorrow. Tho com
n,ittee may also consider similar resolu-
ton submitted by Representative Francis
Of Ohio directing that n special commit
tee of five be named to inquire into the
American Woolen company.
WEEKS PRAISES TRUST.
The proposed removal of the duty on
shoes. as provided in the free list hill
now before the House. came up
simultaneously at the Senate and House
ends of the capitol.
While large shoe Manufacture testified
to the Senate finance committee that they
were forced to keep prices high because
they were in the grip of shoe machinery
trGs which controlled absolutely every
manufacturer of shoes in this country,
Representative Weeks on the floor Of the
House was praisine the concern which
owns all the patents on all tho shoe
machinery in the United States. He de-
clared that because the United Shoe
Machine company refuses to sell any
machine outright. only leasing il to the
manufa cturer. the latter can engage in
business with less capital and that the
tendency Of this method is to increase
manufa ctures.
The manufacturers declared that this
trust operates on a 0lneTent OASIS with
foreign manufacturers from what 1t does
with those in this country.
Mr.. Weeks. on tho other hand, said
"The United Shoe Machine COMPANY
leases its machinery abroad exactly as
II is leased in this country and at the
same rate"
AFTER ALI. SHOE CONTRA CTS.
Representative Difenderfer of Penn
svlvania introduced resolutions call
ing upon the secretary OF the navy
re ating to shoe contracts for the arm
and navy prior to 1909, Similar reso-
lutions introduced last week by Rel
resentative Gardner were confined -
1908. 1910 and 1911. The Gardner
resolution regarding navy shoe con
tracts was passed by the House yester-
day and the committee on military AZ
fairs is about to report favorahly on
the proposed inquiry into army con
tracts. The inquiries were based upoa
chrages made by Mr.. Dlfenderfer thai
one shoe manufacturing concern has
a monopoly on government contracts