The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1911-05-24
LUMBER TRUST
The Government viii Seek to- Destroy
the Alleged Conspiracy
AMONG The TIMBER MEN


Action Begun in New York Fedora
Court First Brought Under Inter
probation Of Sherman Law in Stan
dard Oil Decision -"Unreason
able" Restraint Of Trade Charged
In the first Federal antitrust pro
ceedings brought under the Sher
man Standard Oil decision, the de
partment of justice filed suit in th'
United States Court against variou,
constituent organizations, which ar
known as the Lumber Trust" al
leging the presence of widespread
conspiracy, "unreasonably" to re
strain the lumber trade in this coun
try.
1t Is stated that the suit may b.
the first of series planned by At
torney General Wickersham looking
to the breaking up of alleged agree
ments among the retailers of many
Of the commodities of life to main
tain high prices, to force all ultimate
consumers to buy from retailers anc
to blacklist wholesalers who sell tt
other than members of the retail or.
CARNATIONS in the various States ant
cities.
Ten trade organizations and more
than one hundred and fifty indiVid.
uals are named as defendants in
the suit. 1t alleges violation Of the
Sherman antitrust law, and seeks 6
permanent injunction in restraining
the defendants from continuing the
cons:racy charged.
The elaborate system Of black.
mailing, attributed to the alleged
oonspirators, copies Of circulars sent
out by the various organizations
classying the consumers as proper
and Improper" trade, extracts from
reports, the threatening "short shift
to dealers daring to violate the rules
Of the organization, and branding
such offenders as "poaehers," "mav-
ericks," "scalpers," and illegiti-
matas," are fully set forth in the
Governments petition.
It Is alleged that not only have
private consumers been blacklisted,
but that many of the great industrial
concerns have been put under the
ban by the lumber dealers. The Gov
ersham's long planned test suit to
icnal allegations and interesting ex-
hibits.
The suit is directed specifically
against retail organizations in the
Eastern States, but the trial will en-
brace methods adopted by retailers
and wholesalers throughout the Unit
ed States In general, the case is
as Attorney General Wick
ersham's long tanned test suit to
have the Courts determine how far
com binations of retailers may go to
prevent the ultimate consumer from
dealing directly with the wholesaler
or producer.
The Government takes the position
that any agreements or acts which
prevent a, consumer from buying
where he chooses, or to his best ad-
vantage, are in unreasonable" re-
straint of trade, and violates the
Sherman law.
No attack On the middleman has
been intended, the department Of
justice holding that there is legiti-
mate business opportunity for him.
If the Governments contention in
this case is sustained, there is prom
isa of sweeping attack upon similar
alleged conspiracies as to other COM
modities in daily use. The depart
ment of justice regards the case as
the most important in principle Of
all the antitrust suits under taken.
The Government alleges, among
other things, that although the Ma
tional Wholesale Lumber Dealers as
sociation is not named, by agree
ments with it, the Eastern States AS
sociation has organized and circulat-
ed black lists which have affected
the lumber trade in New York, Penn
sylvania, North Carolina, West Vir-
ginia, Massachusetts,, Tennessee, Vir-
yinia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Con-
necticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Florida,
Georgia, Missouri, Alabama, Rhode
Island, California, Mississippi, the
District of Colum bia, the Canadian
provinces of Quebec, Ontorio, Nova
Scotia and British Columbia.
1t is also charged that as a result
Of the alleged blacklists, wholesalers
have been directed not to sell lum-
ber to retail dealers who have dealt
with consumers in wholesale quanti-
ties and that in the case of wholesal-
ers who have dealt with consumers in
retail quantities, the organized retail
ers were directed not to buy lumber
from them; that the retailers who
have sold wholesale lots or have COM
peted outside their allotted territory
have been posted to the trade as
'Doachers," or "scalpei's" and, in
instances, have been heavily
fined or expelled.
'The result of this illegal opera
tion," says the Government, has
been to close the door to the
in all parts tof the
United States, and to drive the
out of I territory cover
ed by member of the trust.
Auto Kills Negro.