Bisbee daily review., 1917-05-25
FEDERAL GRAND JURY
 TURNS SPOTLIGHT ON
 ALLEGED ONION TRUST
Eighty-Eight Indictments Re- turned Against Individuals And Corporations Result of Probe.
(By Review Leased Wire)

BOSTON. May 24.-Eighty-eight cor porations and individuals were indict- ed by the federal grand jury here to- day for conspiring 10 monopolize inter state commerce in onions.
 J The indictments were returned as l. result of nationwide inquiry into the cost of food conducted last winter D, United States Attorney George w. An derson. of this city. In a statement outlining the case, Mir. Anderson said:
 ''The gist of the charge is that the defendants have maintained national onion association, composed of large onion dealers who buy up bulk of the onions of producing states during the summer and early fail, storing them in warehouses owned or controlled by the various members and putting them upon the market from September to April. The government charges that this association has had dominating and illegal control of the onion tfade for the past three years.
 The government expects to show that as early as September, 1916, at ! least 75 per cent of the years crop, then harvested, was in the control of the members of this association The headquarters Of the association are at Kenton, o.
 Tt is a part of the plan of the asso- citation to have monthly meetings in ve rious parts of the country so as to get as large an attendance as possible which might not otherwise be reached only through the mails. After these monthly meetings the secretary issues to the members printed confidential reports" containing a summary or re- view of the amount of onions available in various producing sections, followed by such suggestions as: The bulk oi the onion crop is now in the hands of spectators, fully 75 per cent of wkom are members of this association
 Corporations Named. ""This report shows that the move ment for the entire United States, need be only 80 cars per day. The results rest with the members and by all means arrange to keep onions moving regularly We should not fool our selves and make this fictitious value market, but be sure of conditions and the key to the situation is to keep some moving all the time'
 For the 1916 crop the producers probably received less than ? cents a pound In midwinter many. of these onions were sold to retailers and through them to consumers at 10 to 15 cents a pound. It is claimed by the government thta this tremendous mar gin between the price accruing to the producer and the price paid by the con sumer was largely due to the illegal control of the trade exercised by this association"
 The following corporations are named in the indictments:
 NJ. Piowaty & Sons, Chicago; The Horr-Warner Company. Wellington, O.; John B. Troy Company, Rochester, N. Y.; Wayl, Zuckerman & Co.,, and A. Levy and J. Zentner Co.,, both of San Francisco; Jackson-Hobring Co.. Inc, Middleport, N. Y.; The Farmers Mer- cantile Company and the Farr Produce | Company, both of Greeley. Colo; Ola the Produce Assn. Olathe, Colo; Bruige & Zouter Co.,, Inc, Canastota, N. Y; c. B. Hoagland & Sons, Will Hanson. N. Y.
 \ Separate indictments were returned in many cases against officers of the companies named.