Omaha daily bee., 1911-03-04
SUIT TO DISSOLVE COMBINE
Government Files suit at Cleveland
Against Electric Combine.
MONOPOLY ALMOST COMPLETE
BuI Charges that Defendants Make
% Per Cent of Lamps Used aud
that Prices Are Lower on
Goods sold Abroad.

CLEVELAND March S-Following a
consultation between Judge w. 3. Kenyon,
assistant United states attorney general
and United states District Attorney w. l..
Day here today Attorney Day, represent
ing the government, filed suit against the
General Electric company OF schenectady.
~ Y, and others, alleging an unlawful
combination and a conspiracy in restraint
Of trade.
The specific charge is that the National
Electric Lamp company was promoted by
the defendants for the purpose Of monop-
olzinE the trade in the carbon filament
electric incandescent lights. The petition
alleges that the National Electric Lamp
company controls 81 per cent OF that bust
ness.
The National Electric Lamp company, in
corporated under the laws of New Jersey
has its headquarters in Cleveland
The petition asks that the National Elec-
trio Lamp company be enjoned from vot-
ing the stock Of or receiving any dividends
from the thirty odd corporations alleged
to have been acquired and controlled by IT.;
that the other companies be enjoined from
paying dividends to the National Electric
Lamp company; that the General Electric
company, which, the petition says controls
the holding company be enjoined from
using its stock In that company, that
existing agreement between the companies
be voided and that they be forbidden to
exercise control Of foreign patents or use
the same to suppress competition.
Monopoly Almost Complete.
The petition charges that there exists
agreements with the Westinghouse company
and others to sell lamps at prices dictated
by the combination. 1t further alleges
that the defendant has bought up German
patents on filament lamps and will not
sell the German products unless the buyers
agree to buy also the carbon filament
lamps; and that the price OF lamps sold
by the alleged trusts to United States
customers Is Il cents, while the same are
sold abroad for 10 cents.
The petition states that 81 per cent Of
So OOO, 900 lamps sold yearly for SIS, 10000 are
sold by the combination. The defendants
include not only the alleged members of
the combinations, but supply companies
and other said to be engaged in furthering
the interests OF the combination.
Partial List on Defendants.
Among them are:
General Electric company, Schenectady,
National Electric company, Cleveland, o.
The Westinghouse Electric and Manu-
featuring company, Pittsburg.
The Aetna Electric company, New York.
American lncadescent. company, New
York.
The Columbia Incandescent Lamp com
pany, St. Louis.
The Independent Incandescent Lamp COM
pany, St. Louis.
The Sunbeam Inoandescent Lamp com
The Phoenix Glass company, Pittsburg,
Pa.
he Providence Gas Burner company,
Providence, II. l.
Opening Gun of Big Prosecution.
WASHINGTON, March 3.-The suit filed
at Cleveland against the General Electric
company is the opening gun in the govern
ments fight against the so-oalled electrical
trust Officials OF the department of
justice declare that their Investigations OF
the combination have disclosed a situation
which overshadows any other antitrust
prosecution the government has ever under
taken, not excepting the case against the
Standard OIL company.
Attorney General Wickersham issued
electrical trust, in which he intimated that
the defendants would cease the practices
to which the government objects without
a great deal Of opposition.
THE defendants have already indicated
a disposition to conform to the require
ments OF the government" said he land
the department hopes that a dissolution
Of the combination will be effected with
out long litigation"