The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1911-06-01

ing lumber direct to the consumer.
That hundreds of consumers, includ-
ing the largest industrial corporations
in the country, have been compelled
by unlawful agreements to buy lum-
Der from retailers at much higher
prices than they would have paid to
wholesalers.
The United States government, how
ever, the bill says, has never been
blacklisted in that class.
That wholesalers and retailers in
joint convention and by agreements
have classified consumers as proper
and improper" and have prepared
and exchanged blacklists.
Blacklists in Lumber Trade.
That, although the National Whole
sale Lumber Dealers Association is
not named as a defendant, by agree
ments with it the Eastern States AS
sociation has organized and circulated
blacklists, which have affected the
lumber trade in New York, North Ca
rolina, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Mary
land, Michigan, West Virginia, Massa-
chusetts, Tennessee, South Carolina,
Virginia, New Jersey, Illinois, Ohio.
Wisconsin, Louisiana, Connecticut, In
diana, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Ala
bama, Rhode Island, California, Mis-
sissippi, the District of Columbia, the
Canadian provinces of Quebec, Onta-
rio, Nova Scotia and British Columbia.
That as a result of the alleged black
lists wholesalers have been directed
not to sell lumber to retail dealers
who have dealt with consumers in
wholesale quantities, and that in the
case of the wholesalers who have
dealt with consumers in retail guam
titles, the organized retailers were di-
rected not to buy lumber from them
That retailers who sold wholesale
lots or competed outside their allotted
territory have been posted 10 the
traders as ''poachers" or "scalpers"
and in some instances heavily fined or
expelled.
"The result of this illegal opera,
tion," says the governments bill, has
been to close the door of the wholesale
dealers and manufacturers TO the con-
sumner in all parts of the United States
and to deprive the wholesaler of the
trade of a consumer in a territory
covered by a retailer except through
the medium of the retail yards"
The Eastern States Association was
organized in 1902, when retail organi-
cations then existing in the states
mentioned became constituent men,
bers.
The government charges that re-
tailers before that time, however, had
arranged with the National Wholesale
Lumber Dealers Association to classl-
fly the trade and the so-called Boston
agreement" was made, resulting in
the bylaws of the National Wholesale
Lumber Dealers Association being
changed to contain the following pro-
vision:
Agreement to Restrain Trade.
Whenever it shall be determined
that any person or firm or corporation
is not a legitimate consumer for the
wholesale trade, according to the prin'
ciples recognized by this association
as best conserving the lumber bust
ness, the members shall not thereafter
sell to such person, firm or corpora
ton"
At subsequent joint meetings at
Baltimore and Pittsburg it is charged
this was modified to admit arbitration
of disputes of classification, but in
tenor and effect this bylaw always
remained the same.
The Pittsburg conference, it is
charged, was between the trades rela'
ton committee of the wholesalers and
representatives of the retailers from
thirteen states and adopted a resolu-
ton providing that members of the
National Wholesale Lumber Dealers
Association shall refrain from selling
or in any way furnishing lumber to
wholesalers or individuals not mem
bers of their association, or who are
known to transact their business con-
trary to the joint agreements between
the National Wholesale Lumber Deal
ers' Association and the various retail
associations"
In March, 1906, the government re
cites, there was a convention OF
wholesalers in Washington, at Which
it is alleged report was presented
CONTINUED on page twelve.)