The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1911-10-24
LUMBER TRUST
AGAIN IN COURT
Fifth Effort of Government
to Break up the Com
bination

st. Paul, Oct. 24.-The govern
ment's fifth suit in its fight to break
up the so-called lumber trust was be-
gun in the United States court here
today. The bill however was filed
by United States District Attorney
Charles c. Houpt in Minneapolis
where most Of the defendants reside.
1t is directed against the North
west Lumbermen's association. the
Lumber Secretaries Bureau Of In
formation, an Illinois corporation al
ready under fire in another suit
against the trust brought in Colorado; /;
Luke D. Boyce. owner Of private
detective agency at Minneapolis. who
IS charged with spying upon independ-
ent lumber dealers who had the tenn
Gritty to violate trade "ethics" laid
down by the alleged trust, and the
Lumberman Publishing company, a
Minnesota corporation which issues
the Mississippi Valley Lumberman. a
trade journal which the government
charges has been the organ of the
trust in that section.
Plat B. Walger Of Minneapolis, edi-
tor of the paper, is made defendant as
arc Tie 1oiloWlHB dS ueiuS HeIHpeFS,
officers or directors in the Northwest
ern Lumberrf1en's association:
w. R. Wood. Parker. S. D.; Charles
Webster, Waucoma, Iowa; Willard G.
Hollis, Minneapolis; Geo. F. Thomp-
son. Minneapolis; c. M. Porter, Os-
kaloosa. Iowa; E. G. Finn, Minne-
apolis; o. NJ. Botsford, Winona. MINI. {:
w. H. Davy, Jr., Dubuque. Iowa; NJ.
T. Mcmahon, Fergus Falls, Mimi; C..
in Ii
John w. Barry. Cedar Rapids. Iowa.
AS in similar suits now pending
against the Eastern States Retail Lum-
Der Dealers association. the Michi-
gan Retail Lumber Dealers associa-
ton. the Colorado and Wyoming Lum-
Der Dealers association and the Lum-
Der Secretaries Bureau of Informa-
tion. lfourteen members of the latter
organization being under criminal in
dictments charging violations of the
Sherman antitrust law), the govern
ment alleges that the lumber trade has
been unreasonably restrained by lille
gal agreements and understandings
which prevent the consumer from
buying of whom and where he will;
which absolutely forbid competition
for trade and which have divided the
country into noncompetitive terri
tories. It is also alleged that the
names Of lumbermen who have violat-
ed the "ethics'' have been published
to the trade in the Mississippi Valley
Lumberman.
The bill alleges many acts in pur-
suance to an alleged conspiracy cover
ing several years and that some Of
them were perpetrated and in form
ceased several years ago, but each act
is alleged to have been part of care
fully devised plan by which first one
restriction and then another was fas-
tened upon the lumber trade and when
once fixed was to all appearances
abandoned and substituted with one
less iniquitous. The theory of the
bill is that while no one of the separ-
ate acts performed now, might be
taken as a violation of the law when
considered alone. they are but part
of the general plan and that by the
alleged continuing conspiracy" an
apparently harmless act is now direct
ly contributory to the original scheme
Of restriction and oppression of which
the government complains.
The bill relates in great detail the
governments allegations that dealers
who insisted upon selling to whom
ever they pleased were constantly un-
der the surveillance Of the defendant
Boyce and his detective who reported
all Irregular business" to their en-
mems association: that the reports of
such espionage were sent to the Lum-
her Secretaries Bureau OF Information
through which they were sent to the
twenty or more territorial organiza-