The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-05-25
So INDICTMENTS
FOR CONSPIRACY
TO MONOPOLIZE
Corporations and individuals Are Charged
with Trying to Control the Onion
Market-Action Brought
in Boston.

Boston, May 25.-Eighty- eight cor
porations and individuals were indicted
by the federal grand jury here yester-
day Tor conspring to monopolize inter-
state commerce in onions.
The indictments which were returned
as result of nation wide inquiry into
the cost of food conducted last winter
by United States Attorney George w.
Anderson of this city allege that the de-
| PENDANTS divided up the territory OF the
country between them for the purpose
of eliminating competition, that maxi
mum prices were fixed for the purchase
OF onions, and that the supply was hoard
ed in order to increase prices.
Mr.. Anderson estimated that the an
nual crop of onions amounted to 100000
600 pounds, three fourths of which he
said was alleged to have been controlled
by the defendants. In statement out
lining the case Mr.. Anderson said:
"The gist of the charge is that the de-
PENDANTS have maintained national on
ion association, composed of large onion
dealers, who buy up a bulk of the onions
of the northern states during the summer
and early fall, storing them in ware
houses owned or controlled by the va
rious members and putting them upon
the market from September to April.
The government charges that this asso-
citation has had a dominating and illegal
control of the onion trade for the past
three years.
"The government expects to show that
as early as September, 1915, at least rs
per cent of the years crop, then harvest
ed, was in control of the members of this
association. The headquarters of the as
sociation are at Kenton, o., where the
regular annual meeting was held in July.
The August meeting was held at Spring
field, Mass. Subsequent monthly meet
ings were held in other parts of the
country.
''It is part of the plan of this asso
citation to have monthly meetings in va
rious parts of the country so as to get
as large an attendance as possible OF
members who might otherwise be reached
only through the mails. After these
monthly meetings, the secretary issues to
the members printed confidential reports
containing a summary review of the
amount of onions available in various
producing sections, followed by such sug-
gestions as: THE bulk OF the onion crop
is now in the hands of spectators, fully
rs per cent of whom are members of this |
This report shows that the
for the entire United States |!
need be only 80 cars per day. The re-
suits rest with the members, and by all |
means arrange to keep onions moving |
Il - Co.
and make this a fictitious value market, |
but be sure of conditions, and the key |
to the situation is to keep some moving |
all the time
"For the 1915 crop the producers prob |
ably received less than two cents per |
pound. In mid-winter many of these |
onions were sold to retailers and through |
them to consumers at 10 to Is cents |
pound. 1t is claimed by the government /
that this tremendous margin between |
the price accruing to the producers and |
the price paid by the consumer was
largely due to the illegal control of the
trade exercised by this association"
Among the corporations named in the
indictments are:
John B. Froy company Rochester, n.
Y; Jackson Sobring company, Inc, Mid
ileport, N. Y; Bridge & Souter company,
Inc, Canastota, n. Y, and C. B. Hoag-
land & Sons, Williamson, N. Y.
Separate indictments were returned in
many cases against officers Of the COM
panies named.
Other indictments include the follow
ng: Judson Snyder and Mr.. Allerton of
snyder & Allerton, Newark, n. Y; John
platschart of East Williamson, n. Y;
NJ. J.. Barry, Florida, n. W Howard V.
Pearsall, Williamson, n. y, And John
Van Oar Meid, Livonia, n. Y.