The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-06-27
To Dissolve the Combination Of
Magazine Publishers.
UNDER SHERMAN LAW
They Are Charged With Illegal
Restraint of Trade.
Corporations and individuals
Are Made Defendants.

New York, June GA civil suit was
filed in the United States court today
for the dissolution of the periodical
clearing house and about a score of
other magazine defendants The petit
ton, filed by District Attorney Wise,
alleges unlawful combination and con-
spiracy to restrain interstate trade and
foreign commerce in magazine and
other periodical publications
The petition charges that the defend
ants since July, 1909, have been en-
gagged in an illegal combination, a dis
solution of which is asked for The
proceeding in equity is against the
periodical clearing house, Doubleday
Page & Company; Crowell Publishing
company; S. S. Mcclure company: Cur
rent Literature Publishing company;
Phillips Publishing company; Harper &
Bros; Leslie-Judge company: Review
Of Reviews company; International
Magazine New Publishing company;
Buttericlz Publishing company; Stand
ard Fashion company; New Idea Pub
nshlng company; Ridgway company:
American Home Magazine company:
Short Stories company, Limited; (Here-
lnafter referred to as defendant pub
lishers.) Frank n. Doubleday, Herbert
S. Hou ton, f. L. Collins, Charles d
Lanier and George Won Utassy.
The periodical clearing house. in the
petition. is described as a corporation
organized under the laws of the state
Of New York carrying on business
throughout the United States and for
eign nations with its offices and prin-
cipal place of business in this city. It's
authorized capital stock is of the mar
value of $4,000 consisting of 20 shares
OF the par value of 800 each of which
IA are issued and outstanding
The Stockholders.
The Suburban Press, New York
corporation; Good Housekeeping. a
Massachusetts corporation, and FIamn-
tons, a New York corporation, togeth-
er with the defendant. are the stock
holders of record of the defendant
periodical clearing house. Doubleday.
Collins Houston. Lanier and Won
Utass5' constitute its board of directors
and Houston. Won Utassy and Lanier
are respectively its president vice
president and secretary and treasurer
These officers Of the periodical clearing
house are officials also of one or 9TH
er of the defendant corporations en-
gagged in the publication of azin es
The petition recites that prior to
July, 1908, there were upwards Of
twenty thousand corporations and in
dividuals publishing and selling peri
odica1S in free competition but that
following the organization Of the clear
ing house in July, 1909. notices were
sent to subscription agencies and
agents notifying them that they
would have to sign the contract with
the periodical clearing house, if such
agencies intended to conduct further
business with the members Of said
periodical clearing house,
Official Price List.
The petition then recftes thaS the
periodical clearing house prepared a
se-calIed "official price Iist'' of rnaga-
zines and periodicals containing rules
governing sales of subscriptions and
the publishers wholesale price list =
The petition continues:
1.-The contracts force upon the agents
and require them to sell all periodicals =
not listed in the aforesaid lists at the
regular publication price without any
reduction whatsoever The publishers
of many of the periodicals listed in
said lists have been and are willing
that the agencies shall sell their peri
odica1s to the public at prices less
than those fixed by the defendants in
said price lists, but said agencies have
been and are prevented by the afore-
said contracts from selling such sub
scriptions at less than the prices fixed
by the defendants and set forth in said
lists
It is alleged that the clearing house
had a, system of fines for offending
agents.