Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-02-10
Hearing on "Seven Sisters" Be-
ing Held Before Senate and
House Committees.
OBJECTIONS HEARD FROM
SEVERAL MANUFACTURERS
Believe Measures Viii, Go Be-
fore Legislature Without
Changes.
TFrona star Correspondent.I

ernor w lSon declared today that he
believed his antitrust bills. known
as the Seven Sisters" would pass
the Legislature without amendment,
despite the pleadingS of the attorneys
for the various corporations. as no
new arguments have been advanced
at the hearings. he sad
The same objections have been
raised as were made before the Stan
ley committee in Washington
The corpora lions wanted the same
things inserted. he said, that they
have always advocated to avert indi-
v,dual responsibility.
To Hold Conference.
The governor and the Democratic
members of the Legislature will con-
fer tomorrow. The governor will
urge immediate action on the bills.
The third. and what was generally
regarded as the last. hearing on the
seven antitrust bills began in the
Senate chamber few minutes after
noon today.
Besides the Senate committee on
| judiciary in whose hands the bills
now are, there were present the mem
bers of the House committee on cor
porations, to which the bills are ex-
| pected to be referred when they
reach the House. The having of the
House committee present was de-
signed to make it. unnecessary TO
have hearings in the House.
| 1t was the expressed hope of Sena-
tor Davis, the Senate judiciary COM
mittees chairman, juyt before today's
| hearing began, that there would be no
necessity for any more hearings.
Senator Davis also asked those pres
ent at the hearing who desired to
speak to confine their remarks to not
more than. fifteen minutes each.
Few Changes Expected.
Just before the hearing one of the
members of the joint committee said
he did not think any material amend
ments would be made to the bills. He
said some minor changes might be
made to clear any possible ambiqui-
ties, but he thought the claims of
some of the DIRECTORS of the bills as
| to how ordinary business transac-
tons would be interfered with were
overdrawfA
The courts, he said, would continue
| the acts on the basis of reasonable
ness and not through any ifar-fetched
enforcement of the literal word Of the
acts, where there was no real mo-
nopolst or anything approaching the
same.
VIII Omit WillfuI.
He said, however, that he did not
think there would be any disposition
upon the part of the committees to
| insert the words "willful'' or know
! ingly" in the bill, making it mis-
demeanor for directors of corpora
lions to fix prices or do other things
prohibited by the measures. To do
this would take the teeth out Of the
bills and would defeat the very pur-
pose sought to be accomplished.
William H. Ingersoll, of the watch
making firm of Robert H. Ingersoll &
Bro, who have a large plant at Tren-
ton, said the bill regulating prices
would injure concerns like his own
that make goods to be sold at retail
at price fixed by the manufactures.
William J. Foster, of the Manufac-
turers' Association of New Jersey,
said the bills would prohibit New Jer-
sey corporations from buying stock in
liability insurance companies, which,
under a recent law they are author
lied to form to secure for themselves
cheaper liability insurance.
Thomas w. Hunt, of Lambertville
N. J., said the bills wouldn't do SO
much harm to "big business" as they
would to small business" 1t would
prevent one of his clients, Lambert
Vile pottery concern, from entering
into wage agreements with the
Brotherhood of Operative Potters
and covenant not to employ men not
belonging to the union.
Mr.. Hunt also said 1t would pro-
hibit another client continuing to sell
its goods only to one customer in a
given city or town.
Mr.. Foster suggested that the bills
be referred to a commission to con-
slider them and report on them later.
Labor Men Present
Henry s. Hilfers and other MEM
bers of the New Jersey State Fedora
ton of Labor came here to make sure
that the provision in the main act,
which defines trusts, does not prevent
labor organizations making contracts
with employers for increased wages
or compensation. The particular pro-
vision about which they were con-
cerned makes it illegal and indictable
for corporations, firms or individuals
to enter into agreements either ito
limit or reduce the production or in.
crease the price of merchandise or of
any commodity" and also makes it
illegal and indictable for corpora
lions, firms or individuals to enter
into agreements which directly or in
directly precludes free competition
or in any manner affects prices.
Joseph S. Auerbach, of New York
discussed at length bill No. AZ, which
:, undertakes to define monopoly and
10 prohibit particular actions tending
to monopolize. and said the bill con-
tanned good deal of language that
smacked of nonsense
One of the greatest offenses OF
monopolies, he said, was the attempt
to throttle opposition by resorting tc
cut-rate prices. This practise. he
; sad, the bill did not even seek tc
prevent
Mr.. Auerbach's main argument was
along lines that would regulate cor,
porations and not make arbitrary
prohibitions,> which would be bene-