The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-13
LOCAL HEARING IN
'STEEL SUIT ENDED;
Go TO NEW ORLEANS
G. W. Connors Says Separa-
tiOn of Tennessee Co.
Would Be Misfortune
BUT TWO WITNESSES
HEARD DURING DAY
Connors Says Purchase Has Been
Benefit to Birmingham District.
Wexford Says He Finds
Competition Is Active

Competition Is Active
y
Walker l.. Wexford of Memphis, Sec
retary and treasurer of the Chickasaw
Cooperase company, and George w. Con-
nors of the Connores-Weyman Steel COM
pany, were the concluding witnesses yes
terday for the United States Steel cor
poration at the local hearing held be-
fore Special Examiner j. A. Brown in
connection with the dissolution suit
brought by the government against the
corporation.
David Reed, counsel for the Steel cor
poration. expressed much satisfaction as
to the. result of the hearing that has
been held in Birmingham and stated
that in his opinion it was much in IA
Vor OF the corporation. He compimented
Tthe several witnesses for the clear and
concise manner in which they presented
their testimony.
Mr.. Brown, Mr.. Reed and Harry Coul-
ton left last night for New Orleans,
where the hearing will reconvene this
afternoon at o'clock for additional evil
dence in behalf of the Steel corporation.
Connors Principal Witness
George w. Connors of Birmingham,
president OF the Connors- Weyman Steel
company, was the concluding witness of
= the day. He declared that the separation
4gf the Tennessee company from the Steel
,1corporation would be a misfortune. He
declared that he had not been injured
in any way by the competition of the
Steel corporation and that he thought
the purchase of the Tennessee company
had been a great advantage to the Bir-
mingham district
Mr.. Connors took the stand after Mr.
Wexford had concluded his testimony.
He told of the formation of his COM
y pany in 1908 to manufacture steel hoops
land cotton ties. He said that he had
bought steel on competitive basis and
named the companies from which he Sc
cured quotations. He testified that since
coming to Birmingham all his purchases
had been made from Steel corporation
competitors. He said he had no difficulty
in getting an adequate supply.
In answer to a question as to COM
petition, the witness replied that sit has
been Just about as keen as it is pos
sible for any line to be- He had not
4 found that the Steel corporation resort
ed to unfair means
Competition All Over South
Upon questions by Mr.. sReed the wit
ness gave his opinion as to the benefit
of the purchase of the Tennessee COM
pany by the Steel corporation. His ex-
animation on that point was as follows:
". You spoke OIL ndN1llS competition.
DO you have 1t in each and all of these
southern states in which you sell. A.
Everywhere. = --.ess-s.l,.s-
@. Asa competitor oa as aaeustomei,
Mr.. Connors. do you Feel that the pur-.
chase of the Tennessee Coal. Iron and
Railroad company by the Steel corpora
, .tion worked you any injury? A. 1t has
never worked any injury to me and, so
far as | can see, I do not think it
has worked any injury to anyone
Great Advantage to District D
G. Do you know. of anyone who has
been injured by the purchaser, A.. None.
g. Has it been of any advantage to
birmingham or to the south as a whole?
:, A. l consider it has been a Very great
advantage to the Birmingham district. q
@ And has it been Of any advantage
to the southern customers generally? a.
] think it has been decided advantage.
@. From the standpoint of the compet
tors and the customers in steel products
in the south. do you feel that the separa-.
tion of theFTennessee company from the
Steel corporation would or would not be
a misfortune Mr.. Connors? \. l thinl1
it would be a misfortune
Mr.. Coulton then took the witness for
cross-examination.
q. In what way would the separation
of the Tennessee company from the Unit
ed states Steel corporation affect your
4 cotton tie business. Mr.. connors? A. I
do not know that it would affect my cot
ton tie business at all No cotton ties
are made mere by the Tennessee COM
rany.
O. In what may would it affect your
billet ptrchases9 Al do not know that
it would affect my billet purchases in any
way. az
O. In what way should it affect your
manufacture and sale of steel hoops? A.
ts.laa hat
either. one way or the other.
O. You don't know any way in which
it would affect you to have tho Tennes-.
see company separated rom the corpo-
ration. as a competitor or a customer?
All think it would be rather in the ma.
ture of a calamity to the district to-
@. In what way? A. What affects the
district would in a general way more or
less affect me. as well as any other
manufacturing enterprise here.
q. In what way would it be calam-'
ity to the district? A. The large expen-
ditures of money which they have made
have been of benefit to this district and
would not affect any of my products yet
they cannot spend money in this dis
trict without my getting little of it.
Aids Prosperity of District
+ O. 1t aids the prosperity of the district
toshave $20,000,000 or 10000, 900 spent in it.
can understand that Is that correct?
A. That is it.. e M sA
q And If the Tennessee company con-
tiIlues to get an adequate supply of
money from other sources. it will con-
tinue-everybcdy will get some of that
money that is spent in the district, as
you say? A. think so.
Q. And in what way would the sepa-
ration of the Tennessee company affect
the southern manufacturers of steel, il at
all? And which ones would it affect?
A. I think it would affect all. Their
policy down here. We people consider,
has been a generous one. We buy from
them and they buy from us. and the in
terchange of trade has been of great adj
vantage to us all.
O. Let us take the southern manufac-
tllrers you had in mind. What southern.
manufacturers of steel did You have in
mind when you answered Mr. Reeds
question? Suppose we first take manu-
facturers and sellers of billets. If any,
in the soutb-south of the Tennessee line.
let Us say-other than the United States
Steel corporation or the Tennessee COM
pany. A. The Tennesaee's policy under
the United States Steelxcorporation has
been a fixed one They have handled
their competitors in a broad way, and 1
believe, as have stated. the billet manu-
rt,Yrars xsro11 al ofhnr rt1apufoo-i