The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-08-05
Government Seeks to Re-
strain Six Railroad Com
panies and Three Min
ing Concerns.
AGREEMENTS ARE
PUT IN EVIDENCE
Suit Is Brought to Prevent
Change of Ownership and
Taking Over by Two
Large Railways.

N filed by the United States gov
" ernment in she federal court
here today against six railroad
companies and three coal mining con-
Germs charging combination In re,
straint Of trade and asking that the
combination be enjoined from contin-
uing business.
The defendants named in the suit,
which was filed by Orla T. Harrison,
special assistant attorney general, are
as follows:
Lake Shore e. Michigan Southern
railway.
Chesapeake e. Ohio railroad.
Hooking Valley railroad
Toledo & Ohio Central railroad.
Kanawha g. Michigan railroad.
GAINESVILLE g. Western railroad.
Sunday Creek Coal company.
Continental Coal company.
kanawha & Hooking Coal g. Coke
company.
The government charges that the de.
fendant companies have formed and
entered into such combinations and
conspiracies as to restrain trade and
commerce, especially in the bituminous
coal industry in several states.
Companies Allied.
It is alleged six railroads are affil.
lated and three coal companies are also
not only among themselves, but with
the railroad companies. The Hooking
Valley, the Toledo & Ohio Central
the Kanawaha 6 Michigan and the
GAINESVILLE & Western, were until re.
line syndicate"
The Sunday Creek Coal company is
a holding company controlling the Con
tinental Coal company and other com
panies owning porperty In Virginia,
West Virginia and Ohio.
The government purpose is to pre-
vent the change of ownership agreed
upon last night when the trunk line
syndicate turned over the four rail
roads and their affiliated coal compnn~
les to the Lake Shore and the Chesa-
peakc & Ohio. the latter taking charge
of the Hooking VALLEY. which is the
principal one of the four roads.
1t seeks further to break up entirely
the alleged combination between the
four roads and the Sunday Creek com
pany and its subsidiary coal companies,
which has been complained of by Ohio
coal operators for years mast.
Five Agreements.
Five agreements between the rail
road companies, the coal companies and
the Central Trust company of New
York are offered by the government as
evidence in its petition.
One of these agreements made by the
Continental Coal company and the To"
ledo & Ohio Central railroad. stated
that in exchange for the coal company
placing its entire capital stock. with
the exception OF five shares in the
hands of J. p. Morgan as guarantee
of good faith subject to the disposal,
but not the sale. Of the Toledo g. Ohio
Central railroad. the railroad would
take block Of the coal company S
bonds off it's hands and lend it support.
Another agreement between the
Hooking Valley railroad and the To
ledo s. Ohio Central was made in
which the former company was to pur-
chase e.half the bonds Of the Con
tincntal company, held by the railroad,
and TO accept one.half of the traffic
Of the Continental company's S mines,
The government asks the court to
admdge the combination between the
railroad companies and the coal com
panles unlawful and in restraint of
trade and to grant an injunction for
ever restraining them from paving cacn
other dividends on the stock they hold
| in the companies named as defendants
in the suit,
The petition also asks that the com
panics be forever barred from voting
fendant companies. thus putting the
/ control into the hands of individuals
! owning blocks of stock, no matter how
\ un.n