Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-08-17
NEWARKER TELLS
POULTRY TRUSTS
MODE OF DEALING
Morgan Barker Says There Was
No Appeal from Prices
Fixed Weekly.
NEWARK HOUSEWIVES PAID
TO TUNE BULLETIN PIPED
"Magnates' Sentenced Yester-
day Controlled Wholesalers
DespOtically.

Newark housewives have been for
five years at the mercy of the New
York Live Poultry Commission Mer-
chants Protective Association, thirteen
of whose members were sent to Jail,
sentenced to serve three months and
pay a fine of $500 each by Judge
Rosalsky, in New York, yesterday.
That the association, more generally
called the poultry trust" had forced
Newarkers to pay exorbitant prices
for poultry was affirmed by Morgan
Barker, of the firm of c. F.. Barker &
Co., Commerce street produce mer-
chants. to the Evening STAR today.
The Barker Company is the only one
in the city handling live poultry in car
load lots, and as Mr.. Barker put 1t to-
day: IF there is a poultry trust IN
Newark l guess we might be called it.
Forced to Accept Trust Prices.
But he continued. I'VE are not a
party to any agreement and never
have been. Our business has been con-
Quoted entirely separate from the New
York association whose members are
now in trouble. We, as well as all other
dealers in the Eastern States. from
Boston to Baltimore, were forced To
accept the prices made by the New
York men. BY accepting the prices !
mean we were forced to use the figures
named by them each week in both Luy~
ing and selling.
ITO make myself clear, | will eX-
plain: Every Tuesday the New York
dealers would send out p bulletin OF
prices that were to prevail for the
week. That bulletin controlled the sell
ing prices in the East and the buying
prices in the West. where practically
all of the live poultry comes from. /
am speaking, of course, of the whole
sale prices, not the retail. The assoc
citation. as l understand the situation,
did nothing to control retail prices ex-
cept to fix the wholesale prices at
such a figure that would result in a big
profit for the association and a small
one for the retailers, for the retailers
could not raise their prices at will as
the association could and did.
Where Is Brownf
For a Mr.. Barker turned
q%uestioner and asked III reporter.
Where is George G.. Brown in all
this?" The reporter confessed thai Mr..
Brown had seemingly been lost III the
maze of court proceedings that resulted
in the conviction of the thirteen men.
WELL" continued Mr.. Barker, "ha
xssae IoaJo. AF H. .n,, ,,,{-i.. go, -, I
the head of about the biggest house in
Washington Market. He controlled the
commission men, While Sam Werner
who was convicted. controlled the spec
ulators, as we call them, or in other
words, the men who dispose of the
product to the small dealers.
Browns name was frequently men,
toned in the early part of the proceed
ings against the poultry trust but he
was not among those indicted, although
Werner was. and, likewise, was con
Nicted."
Judge Rosalsky said yesterday in
p%ronouncing sentence that New Jersey
dealers were paid for keeping out of
the New York market during the holi-
day season, Mr.. Barker was told.
Not True Concerning Newark
Absolutely not true so far as we
are concerned, and" he continued, If
any Newark dealers were being paid
we would certainly know it. l cannot
make myself too emphatic when / say
there Is absolutely no truth in that as
far as Newark is concerned
How about dealers in Jersey City?'
he was asked.
sDoocfh1,s tha1. ,,foht I,,ro 49,. L..
] have no personal knowledge. Jer-
sey City is a lot closer to New York
than Newark, YOU know
What will be the effect of the
breaking up of the association - Mr..
Barker was asked.
1T means an open market. a daily
market instead of a weekly one was
the quick reply. The trust'-and in
response to an inquiring look from the
reporter Mr.. Barker repeated 81 mean
the word"-"has regufated prices 10,
years, as far as the Eastern markets
are concerned. Now it is out of exist
ence and the law OF demand and sup
ply will regulate prices. The trust By
it's power has been able to control
both supply and demand up 70 now"
Buys Carload Lots In West.
"YoI buy poultry in carload lots in
Indiana, Ohio and Michigan" was sug-
gested to Mr.. Barker. "How are the
buying prices regulated?"
They have been by the New York
people, he said, and we were forced
to pay that price. If we had not paid
the price ordered by the trust our
source of supply would have been cut
off. The New York men absolutely
controlled the situation.
One thing | wish 10 say and that is
this, Newark prices nave been about
a half a cent higher than New York,
and the reason is that we could not
get enough poultry to supply the de-
mand. New York and Boston always
came ahead of Newark in supplies of
poultry when there was a shortage in
the market