New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-04-15
IN FOOD TRUSTS GRIP
Continued from fret page.

simply for the purpose OF melting GU
punshmen nj TO those who fail ~ live vi
to the laws of the body Sander saic
he wac informed and believed that TN
association constantly kept In IFS treas
ury a sum in excess Of $1,000 for IN
purpose Of opening up stores 10 compete
against the independent grocer who ig-
nores the commands of the association
Benjamin Deutsch. Of No. ii East
11Sth street. who attended one OF THESE
meetings incognito. in an affidavit no"
in the hands Of the District Attorney
declared:
Il was scrutinized very carefully BY
the others. and if the fact had become
knowns that / was q stranger ! would
have been assaulted. In my opinion this
association is an illegal affair. organized
for the purpose Of throttling competition
between grocers and maintaining higher
prices for foodstuffs on the upper east
side of Harlem"
Meyer Goldstein in a long afTidavit
says that he is manager of the Lieber-
man Dairy Companys Harlem branch.
at No. 234 East 11Ith street. and that he
was summoned to a special meeting OF
the association in March, 1910 When
he arrived at the meeting, Goldstein saws,
he was told that his company must sell
its milk to all grocers al a standard
price He refused to do this. he SAYS.
and war was then declared on his firm.
Goldstein held out until June and then
surrendered. he said
Another affidavit is submitted by Max
Korner, a grocer. who tells Of the man.
ner in which his business was ruined be-
cause he refused the demands of the as
ISOLATION.
An affidavit sworn to by Harry Eisen-
berg. a wholesale dealer in butter. milk,
cream and eggs for the last fifteen
years. recites that twenty or thirty men
from the association gathered in front
of his store, at Nos 240 and 242 East
111th street, and demanded to know
whose bread he was selling. This was
after Eisenberg had refused to pay
fine Of SIS levied on him by the assocla-
ton as a punishment. Eisenberg says
he drew his revolver. fearing the men,
but that he was overawed, by numbers
and Joined the association.
81 am the attorney for the Harlem
Hebrew Retail Grocers' Association"
said Samuel j. Goldberg, Of No. $50 Mas
sau street, last night. II have no knowl-
edge or information that there is any
conspiracy or coercion being practised
or used by said association. | would
positively advise against said associa-
ton pursuing any such course, because
know IL would be a direct violation OF
the Donnelly law and the penal laws or
this state wherein it applies or refers to
conspiracies. This is positively the first
information or knowledge that | have
had that such a practice was being car
ried out. and | don't believe that any
officer or member Of such association
would be guilty of entering into or in
stigating any conspiracy or boycott or
ooerce any merchant by reason of his
not being affiliated with their associa-
ton.
"As to the officers Of such association,
/ can truthfully say, in my opinion, that
| don't believe that any Of them would
re sort to any such means or unbuslness-
like tactics. The president of this as
sociation Mr. Brill, whom have known
for the last year, is a reputable merchant
of this city. and | cannot believe that he
would participate in or be party to
any such tactics"