The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1913-09-03
ATTACKS HARD
COAL COMBINE
MReynoIds Seeks Dissolution of
Readings Control

PhilaGclphia,Pa., Sept. ATTORNEY
General McReynolds' first and most
important attack on the hard coal
trust was begun here late yesterday
with the filing of civil suit for the
dissolution of the Reading companys
control On coal mining and coal car
rylng railroads--thc most potential
combination i'm the anthracite fields.
The Reading company with it's sub
sidiary and allied corporations i'm
GLIDING the Central Railroad of New
Jersey and certain of their officers
and directors. dre charged by the Fed
cral Government with violating both
ties clause of the Interstate Commerce
Act, i'm an attempt to monopolize the
production and transportation of an
thracitc
This combination, controlling at the
present time 60 per cent of the entire
unmined deposits of anthracite and
marketing about 80 per cent of the
annual supply. will own or control in
time. If not dissolved. the Attorney
General warns. every ton of com
TO exist"
The importance of the suit is en-
phasized with the declaration that in
this case only the law can afford
relief" II is pointed out that in al
most every other industry il is at least
possible for a monopoly to he broken
by the influx of fresh capital attract
ed by high profits. but against n mo-
nopoly of hard coal, the supply Of
which is limited. there can lie no such
protection.
Second Step BY Department.
Today's suit is the second step of
the Department of Justice to solve the
hard ccal trust" situation since the
decision of the Supreme Court last
December cancellinG the so-called six
ty-fivo per cent contracts and order
ing the dissolution of the Temple Iron
company. The court held the gov
eminent had failed To prove a general
combination among all the coal carry
ing railroads and left open to future
litigation the so-called minor combi-
nations of which the Reading is the
most important.
Former Attorney General Wicker
sham filed civil suit along similar
lines and which is now pending
against the Delaware, Lackawanna AZ
Western Railroad company.
Attorney General McReynolds now
is considering the question Of attack
ing other alleged combinations of coat
carrying railroads mad coal mining
companies, particularly the LehiSG
Valley and the Eric and their allied
coal companies. No decision AZ 10
probable action has YET been reached.
Following corporations ana individ-
uals are named as defendants in the
petition in equity filed
Reading Company. capital, $liO.0oO,-
600: debt. $i3o,OOO,OOO.
Philadelphia q Reading Railway
Company. capital. si2.4S1.70O; debt
S49,3s5.5S2.
The Philadelphia e. Reading Coal Il
Iron Company, capital. $S,O0O,OOO; debt
s7i.576,529.
The Central Railroad Company of
New Jersey. capital, $27,436,SO0; debt,
S47.S4S.ooO
The L.chigh 81 Wilkes Barre Coal
Company. capital. S9,2l2.5O0; debt
St6.996. 900.
Thch Lchigh Coal e. Navigation
Company. capital. s2655L95O; debt
ST., iO9.333.
Wilmington II Northern Railroad
Company. capital sl.5oO,o0o, debt
1894 900.
I.chigh a. Hudson River Railway
Company, capital. sl,3iO.OOo; debt
s3.229.O00.
I.chigh a. New England Railroad
Company. capital S1.000,Ro. debt,
s7.770.0oO
George T.. Baer. Philadelphia; Ed
ward r. Stotesbury. Phiiadclphia'
George r. Baker. New York; Henry
G. Prick. New York: Peter \. b. Wild
ener, Philadelphia; Henry a. du Pont,
United States Senator from Delaware;
Daniel willard. Baltimore; Henry L.
Mexican and Samuel Dickson, Phila-
dclphia.
The nine individual defendants are
declared to he responsible for the con-
tinuance Of the combinations and mo-
nopolizations embodied in the lorna
ton If the Reading Holding company
which is declared to be " In ana "a
ITSELF combination in restraint oil
trade and monopoly.
The government asks the court To
dissolve the Reading company's con-
troll of the Central Railroad company
of New Jersey. of the Philadelphia d
Reading Railway company. OF the
Philadelphia & Reading Coal d Iron
company, Of the Schuylkill Naviga-
ton company and of the wilmington
a. Northern Railroad company