Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1911-08-24
HARVESTER TRUST
MAKES DENIAL OF
SERIOUS CHARGES
Implement Concern Says It Has
Had No Illicit Deal With
Steel Combine.

" NV ~ -AAO
ownsen report are based upon clear
~ statements, is the open
Ing assertion in a reply by Edgar Ban
croft. counsel for the International
harvester company, filed today with
The House steel trust" investigating
by Burdett ID. Townsend. special agent
OF department of justice In 1908.
The Townsend report was filed with
the committee q short time ago.
Nearly every important statement
relating to the purpose of the inves-
tigation," the reply continues, lis eth
er grossly Inaccurate or entirely un-
true. The general inaccuracy of the
report is shown by it's mis-statement
even of the names of the president n
chairman of the board OF the Interna-
tional Harvester company. and OF the
names Of the voting trustees-although
tney were al widely known and a mat
ter OF public record for four years
prior to the making of the report.
The fundamental charge Of a COM
Dtnation to create a monopoly Is based
bLy the report on the charge that the
knotter in the self binder Is protected
by patents and that the International
Of knotters.
Patent Expired in 1895.
"The truth is. there Is nv patent
whatever on the essential part of any
type of knOtter and there has not been
any such patent in force since 1896,
when the Appleby patent expir-d. This
fact not only appears on the records
OF the patent Office, but is known to
every manufacturer of self binders and
to every principal dealer in them.
Neither are there n existing pat
ents upon n essential part OF the
grain binding machine. The many ba-
sic patents had all expired in 1896; and
there have been no substantial pat
ented improvements since 1890, 20 a
ago. while the life of a patent, as is
well known. is only II years."
The statement of the Townsend re-
port that of the nine different types
OF grain binders purchased by the In
ternational. all but three have been
abandoned. and that repairs are not
by Attorney Bancroft as "notoriously
and absolutely false" He further
says that repairs for every type then
Cat the time Of the report) were and
have ever since been furnished by the
International when and wherever
called for.
The reports charge OF a binder
Irvine trust Is without any foundation
Whatsoever" declares the reply, which
also states that the International has
had. the vigorous competition Of N
large and six small Irvine manufac-
IuEtTBs III duOlIlOn TO seven state PEN
intentiarieS' Irvine mills.
In reply to the charge that compe-
titiOn has been ''largely suppressed
Mr.. Bancroft cites the names of eight
firms which he declares are all active
competitors.
AZ to the charge that the 1nterna-
tional receives rebates from railroads
ed States Steel corporations, the reply
declares that the harvester company's
relation to the United States Steel
corporation Is not different from its re-
lations to the competitors OF the steel
corporation" and that during the last
seven years It has bought from the
steel corporation 40 per cent Of its
total needs. while It has purchased 50
pei cent from competitors OF the Unit
ed States Steel. the balance OF its needs
having been supplied by the Interna-
ti0nal's subsidiary corporation, the
WtscOnaln Steel company"
Against l~norsasins Prices.
AZ to the charge Of increasing prices
the International asserts that instead
Of Increasing them. its influence has
been to prevent. increases. It rays that
although the price OF raw materials
q increased more than 30 per cent.
its prices were not increased until 1908
AMI then only 4 per cent; and that for
l0Ic. = reduction OF 5 per cent was an
nounced last month.
On the subject OF foreign prices, ''the
International denies that perennial
falachOod that Agricultural implements
are sold abroad cheaper than al
hOnn1." and declares that the govern
lnent's ~ investigation published IN
OF February. March and April, 1909
shows that the prices for tho six foot
binder. which ID sold In America fol
e116. are a. follows: