Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-11-29
NEWS PRINT PAPER
TRUST DISSOLVED
Courts Decree Accepted by Ac.
cused Men Because Of Patri.
otto Motives.

>-a,, yor,x Nov as-w,th the assent Of
>, nate. 1s
the government '"e Vow '"' N".
turers association, which represents
about ST. per cent. OF the print paper pro-
.,,,,,o, ~ tho 1-nited states and Canada
-, ,,,,..,.,,
was "'s'o''e" 'e'@ -o"' 90 "''
combination In restraint or trade IN vio-
iation of the Sherman antitrust act.
Under This decree, signed by United
states Judge Mayer, and which the de-
PENDANTS counsel said was accepted by
the accused men because Of patriotic mo-
tives and a desire not to embarrass the
government engaged in war, evidence will
lie adduced before the federal commission
with a view to paper prices being fixed
IN this country by the commission.
Pending the commissions decision
which, under the decree may be reviewed
by the federal circuit court Of appeals
here the price Of paper Is fixed at three
cents a pound. This contract, Of which
the United States attorney-general Is the
trustee, is understood to be satisfactory
TO the American News Publishers asso-
citation. the members Of which are includ-
ed in the consumers of paper.
Under the decree, the three cent price
will prevail until April in the case of
some Of the individual and corporated
defendants and until January 1 in the
case Of others. The price finally fixed
by the federal trade commission will, 1t
Is understood, be for the period of the
war.
Five Of the seven individual defendants
and all but a few Of the corporate de-
PENDANTS accused under the federal in
dictment returned last April entered pleas
to-day Of "nolo contendere." The Ave
tvnIt 1o m %h,,c rnf,s tn orrNy
the case to trial are George H. Mead.
president Of the defendant Spanish River
Pulp and Paper Mills. Ltd, and other
companies: Philip T. Dodge, president Of
the defendant International Paper COM
pany; Edward w. Backus, president of
the defendant Minnesota & Ontario
Power Co.; George G. Chahoon, Jr., presi-
dent Of the defendant Laurentide Com
pany Ltd, and an officer Of the Canadian
Export Paper Co., Ltd, and Frank j..
Sensenbrenner. vice-president Of the de-
PENDANT Kimberly Clark company. The
first four of these individuals were fined
$500 each and Sensenbrenner was fined
$1,000.
q. H. P. Gould. president Of the Gould
Paper company, pleaded not guilty. At
the suggestion Of federal counsel. who
said government Investigators had not
uncovered SUFFICIENT evidence to warrant
trial, the Indictment against Gould was
dismissed.
Alexander Smith, Chicago banker
the seventh Individual defendant, is en-
gagged in Red Cross work in France. He
was allowed, until January 3 to plead.
The defendants were accused Of Great
Ing complete monopolistic arrange
ment" whereby prices were flxed the
country divided into geographical dis
tricts for trade purposes. new mills
suppressed to avert competition, and pro-
paganda sent to newspaper publishers in
dicating increased manufacturing costs
at time when according to the gov
eminent. 1t was actually lower than II
had been in previous months.
Counsel for the defendants asserted to-
day they had not consciously violated
the spirit or the letter Of the Sherman
law. The association, the attorneys held