The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-03
FIRE HOSE MONOPOLY
Is CHARGED IN SUIT
Original Makers Assert Ma
tiOnal Underwriters Board
Controls Market.
ALL MUST BUY IT'S LABELS
Charged With Backing Three
Firms Whose Output II
Recommends.

The alleged regulation OF an industry
10y "A private company Is TO he the basis OF
an attack upon the National Board OF
Fire Underwriters in a suit brought In
the Supreme Court against It's treasurer,
Charles i. Holman. by the Gutta Percha
and Rubber Manufacturing Company OF
this city The company seeks to enjon
the board from restraining its trade by
insisting that it shall follow the under
writer's Specifications in the manufacture
Of hre hose, &c. and shall use the board $
labels.
The case is on the calendar TO be called
next Monday and its outcome will be OF
great interest generally To the makers OF
factory and fire hose. Lawyer Franklin
Pierce of Rector street represents the
plaintiff company.
The National Board OF Fire Under
writers has over $50 members connected
with all the leading fire insurance COM
panes in the country 1t has established
specifications both for fire and factory
hose. which II calls the national stan
cards" According to the pleadings II mas
placed both its fire and factory hose upon
the market and has sought TO compel
factories and cities to use them.
The engineers of the board 1t Is al
lcged. have visited over 100 of the largest
cities IN the last four years and have adj
vertsed that the fire hos" specifications
of the national board have been adopted
10y the cities.
1t Is charged that the underwriters as
ISOLATION has made arrangements with
three companies. including the Manhat-
tan Rubber Manufacturing Company of
Passaic. y. j., and the United and Globe
Manufacturing Company of Trenton. y. j..
10 furnish fire hose according Ia the un-
derwriters' specifications, and these con-
Germs with the support of the national
board. have. according to the complaint.
got control OF the market.
The complaint further sets forth that
the national board insists that the other
producers of fire and factory hose shall
buy Underwriters labels from the board $
Chicago laboratories and shall place these
labels on each fifty feet Of hose. The
labels are sold at 80 cents a length of
ffty feet. or a cent foot.
The standard hose as fixed by the
specifications sells for 30 cents Il foot,
whereas the hose manufactured by the
plaintiff company brings about 20 a
foot. the papers declare This condition
of affairs. the plaintiff declares. tends to
impair its business of making hose under
the old brands and may destroy its trad.
marks.
The Gutta Percha and Rubber Manu-
featuring Company was the first rubber
hose making concern in the country. In
OF which ii manufactured hose which
t.. called the Maltese Cross" and al
though its patents have expired il has
continued 10 sell this hose under tina,
trade mark. II also owns the process for
making the "Balier Fabric" a cotton rub
bor fabric. and its two kinds of hose have
sold for the highest prices in the markc,
for the last thirty or forty years. The
company also makes factory hose.
Involved in the suit is the claim that
the national underwriters. besides con
trolling the sale Of fire and factory nose
have selected nearly loo other appliances
and commodities that go into buildings
ard because they have adopted these APP
planes compel manufacturers thereof u
purchase labels for all of these.
IL 1913. 1t is alleged. a total Of 30.500
600 labels We're sold by the national
boards laboratories to he used upon these
appliances.