The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-09-03
ATTACK on
COAL TRUST
ATTORNEY GENERAL Mercy
NOLDS FILES SUIT AGAINST
ALLEGED COMBINE.
ORGANIZATION SAID TO GoNTEoL
6s PEI CENT OF AyTHRA-
CITE PRODUCT.


PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 3.-Attor-
uey General McReynolds' firsI and
most important attack on the "nard
coal trust" was begun here yesterday
with the fling ola civil suit ioc lh'
dissolution of the Reading conf
panys control of coal mining and
coal CARRYING railroads - the most
oriental combination in the authrl-
cite fields. The Reading company,
with its subsidiary and allied cnr-
porations, including the Central
Railroad Of New Jersey and certain
of their Officers and directors, arc
charged by the Federal government
with violating both the Sherman
antitrust law and the commodities
clause Of the interstate commerce
act il an attempt to monopoltza TIE
o:r !uLtion and transportation Of IN
thrGcite.
This comniation, controlling at
the present time GO per cent OF the
entire unmined deposits of anthra-
cite and marketing about 80 per
cent of the annual supply, will own
or control, If not dissolved, the attor-
ney general warns. every ton Oh
numerically available anthracite
known to exist"
The importance of the suit is en-
phasized with the declaration that
in this case 'only the law con AFFORD
relief" 1t is pointed ont that in al
most every other industry it is at
lease possible for monopoly to be
broken by the influx of fresh capital
attracted by high profits, but against
monopoly of hard coal, the supply
of which is limited, there can be no
such protection.
Defendants to Suit.
Following corporations and indi-
viduals are named as defendants Ill
the petition in equity filed today:
Reading Company, capital $780,
900, 900; debt. $4,000. 900. phil
adelphia G Reading Railway COM
pany, capital, s42,4S1,7OO; debt,
$49,3S5.5S2.
TIE Philadelphia & Reading Coal
& Iron Company, capital $4,000, 900;
debt. s74,576,52O.
~ Central Railroad Company OF
New Jersey, capital $27, 4S6,SO9;
debt. $47,S4S,OOO.
The Lehigh & Wilkes-Barre Coal
Company, capital, $9,212.5O0; debt.
S16,9O6,O0O.
The Lehigh Coal 4 Navigation
Company, capital, $26,557,95O; debt,
$21, 409,333.
Wilmington & Northern Railroad
Company, capital, $1,500,O0O; debt,
SS94,OO0.
Lehigh & Hudson River Railway
Company. capital, $1,34O,OO0; debt,
$3,229,OOO.
Lehigh e. New England Railroad
Company. capital, $1,OOO,OOO; debt.
$177O,OOO. %lW
individuals Named.
George +. Baer, Philadelphia; Geo.
+. Baker, New York; Edward T.
Stotcsbury, Philadelphia; Henry G..
Frick, New York; Peter A. B. Wide
ncr, Philadelphia; Henry A. O" Pont.
United States senator from Della
ware; Daniel Willard, Baltimore;
Henry p. Mexican, and Samuel Dick
son, Philadelphia, are the nine indi-
vidual defendants declared to be re-
sponsible for the continuance Of the
combinations and monopoliZations
embodied in the formation Of the
Raeding Holding Company, which Is
declared to be Tin and Of itself" Il
combination in restraint of trade and
a monopoly.
The government asks the Purt to
dissolve the itcading c0mpany'S con-
troll of the Central Railroad Com
pany of New Jersey, OF the PhiladcI-
phia & Reading Railway Company,
OF the Philadelphia and Reading
Coal and Iron Company. of the
schuylkilI Navigation Company, and
OF the Wilmington & Northern Rail-
road Company.
Dissolution also is sought Of the
joint control by the Central Railroad
Company of New Jersey and the Lc-
high & Hudson River Railway Com
pany and the Lehigh d New Eng
land Railroad Company. = -"