Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-09-03
merciany available anthracite known

The importance or the suit Is en-
phasi7ed with the declaratio that in
this case only the law can afford re-
lief. 1t is pointed out that in almost
every other industry it is at least pos
sible for monopoly to be broken
by the influx of fresh capital attract
ed by high profits, but against monpp
oily of hard coal, the supply of which
is limited, there can be no such pro-
lection.
1 Today's suit is the second step of
! the Department of Justice to solve the
hard coal trust" situation since the
decision of the Supreme Court, last
| December, eancellins the so-ealled
sixty-five per cent. contracts and or
dering the dissolution of the Temple
Iron Company. The court held the
government had failed to prove gen
eral combination among all the coal
carrying railroads and left open to fu
ture litigation the so-called minor
combinations of which the Reading is
the most important
| Former Attorney General Wicker
sham filed civil suit along similar
lines and which is now pending
ganst the Delaware Lackawanna
and Western Railroad Company.
Attorney General McReynolds is
now considering the question of at
lacking other alleged combinations of
coal carrying railroads and coal min
ing companies, particularly the Lee
high Valley and the Erie and their
allied coal companies. No decision as
to probable action has yet been reach
ed
Following corporations and individ-
uals are named as defendants in the
petition in equity filed, today:
| Reading Company, capital $40, 000.
900: debt. $130OOo.OOO,
Philadelphia & Reading Railway
Company, capital. s42,4S1,700; debt,
$40. 9s5, $50.
The Philadelphia & Reading Coal &
Iron Company, capital sS,000.0o0; debt,
s74,57s,52s.
The Central Railroad Company of
| New Jersey. capital, $27. 300; debt,
s47, s4s, 600
The Lehigh & wilkes-B Barre Coal
Company; capital, s9,212, 500; debt, sls.-
10000
The Lehigh Coal & Navigation Com
pany; capital. s2s,557 $50; debt, s2l, 400,
333
Wilmington IL Northern Railroad
Company; capital s1,500,000; debt.
1884 900.
Lehigh & Hudson River Railway
Company; capital. s1.34o.OOO; debt. 49,
229, 900
Lehigh and New England Railroad
Company; capital, $1,000, 900; debt, ST.
10000
George F. Baer. Philadelphia;
George p. Baker, New York; Edward
T, Stotesbury, Philadelphia; Henry C.
Frick, New York; Peter A. B. Widen
er, Philadelphia; Henry A. du Pont,
| United States Senator from Delaware;
Daniel Willard, Baltimore; Henry p.
| Mexican, and Samuel Dickson, Phila-
delphia.
! The nine individual defendants are
declared to be responsible for the con-
tinuance of the combinations and
monopolizations embodied in the form
alton of the Reading Holding Com
pany. which is declared to be "in and
of ITSELF a combination in restraint
Of trade and monopoly.
The Government asks the court to
dissolve the Reading Companys con-
troll of the Central Railroad Company
of New Jersey, of the Philadelphia G.
|
Philadelphia and Reading Coal and
Iron Company, of the Schuylkill Navi-
cation Company, and of the Whining
ton & Northern Railroad Company.
Dissolution also is sought of the
joint control by the Central Railroad
Company of New Jersey and the Lee
high Coal & Navigation Company. of
the Lehigh & Hudson River Railway
oh sxl, q.
England Railroad Company.
In seeking these dissolutions, Attorney
General McReynolds. who is averse to me
pro-rate distribution of the stock of a
dissolved trust as being Inadequate.
specifically urges that the stocks be dis
posed of under the supervision and direc-
ton of the court to persons not the
stockholders or agents or otherwise I'M
der the control or influence of the pres
ent owners. Pending the distribution
the Government asks that the defendants
be enjoined from voting the stock or
from receiving dividends thereon.
The Government attacks contract be-
tween the Central Railroad Company of
New Jersey and the Lehigh Coal q
Navigation Company by which they are
alleged to be joined in community OF
| interest ana asks tldt tue lease Oh Tue
Lehigh & Susquehanna Railroad owned
by the Navigation Company, to the Cen
trail Railroad Company be cancelled, un-
less materially madified so as TO avoid
restraint of trade.
The commodities clause of the Inter-
state Commerce Act, the Government
contends is being violated by the Read
ing Railway Company in transporting the
coal mined by the Reading Coal CONF
pany, owned by the former; by the Cen
trial Railroad Company of -NewsJersey in
transporting the coal of the Lehigh 81
Wilkes Barre Coal Company owned by
the Central Railroad; and by the Lehigh
d Susquehanna Railroad Company in
carrying the coal mined by the Lehigh
Coal q Navigation Company and by the
Lehigh q New England Railroad Com
pany in transporting the coal of the Lee
high Coal g. Navigation Company. In
functions against continuance of these
relationships sought.
In furtherance of the alleged monopoly,