New-York tribune., 1918-01-03
Delay Asked by
Government i'm
Big Trust Suits
Need of Cooperation in
Business During War
Cited in Motion

WASHINGTON, Jan. 2.--Attorney Q.
General Gregory to day asked the Su
prcme Court to defer argument ON the
saven large antitrust suits pending uil
til the next term Of court.
This action, Solicitor General Davi,
explained, was taken because the gov
ernment wants cooperation from the
business interests of the country The
suits postponed are those Of the gov
enrnmcnt against the United Shoe
Machinery Company, the international
Harvester Company, the United States
Company, the American Can Company,
the Quaker Oats Company and the
Corn Products Refining Company
Financial Reasons Urged
''ln order that tho government In
this Time o. stress may not meet with
competition from private nterpriscs in
ernmcnt's brief nlcd in connection with
the motion, "and tho notaion of its
loans. the Treasury Department has
been constrained to urge that all pri-
vatc iipancing on p large scale shall be
avoided as fas as at all possible.
ut is quite clear that the dissolu-
tions which are sought In the pending
cases will require financial operations
on large scale if they arc to bo gem
uinc and effective. Important as tho
remedy sought In these cases is be-
'icvcd to be, it must give place for the
moment to the paramount needs Of the
hour"
Attorneys for the Steel Corporation
and the Shoe Machinery COMPANY ravc
notice that objections to the govern
ment's motion would be made. and The
court granted them until Friday to hle
their briefs in opposition. The motion
20 continue the other cases was granted
by the court.
Attitude of Steel Corporation
In opposing the governments motion.
the Steel Corporation contends that n
decision should be rendered IN the suit
against 1t as soon as possible. as della :;
Is unfair to the corporation, its stock
holders and employees.
"Thc corporation has been compelled
to make and is now making large in
vcstmcnts in additional plant facilities
and otherwise to meet the require
meMts Of the government" said a
memorandum filed with the court.
"Thesc expenditures may result in
great embarrassment and loss to the
corporation in case it ia dissolved It
ought not, therefore, to be required
TO continue them in state Of unccr-
talnty as to its future longer than is
absolutely necessary.
"The foreign business Of the cor
poration will obviously require great
activity and large expenditures inmc-
diatcly upon the close of the war.
These could hardly be undertaken with
q threat of dissolution hanging over
the corporation.
Solicitous for Employees
"Thc record shows that over $4,000
employees have become stockholders of
the corporation at the time the testi-
mnnN was taken, and that under the
corporati~n's rrohtslaring plan thou,
sands more were investing in its stock
every year. This process ought not to
he allowed to go on indefinitely with
no one krcwing what the future of the
stock is to be or whether it is to have
any future.'
Inc memorandum suggests that
should dissolution be ordered, the gov.
ernment could prevent interference
with its finance plans by postponine
the date when the dissolution order be
comes effective.
Representatives of the Shoe Machin.
cry Company also filed a memorandum
opposing the governments motion, con.
tending that even if dissolution was or.
dered, the re1inancing Of the company
would in no way interfere with the
financial operations of the government
1t is also asserted that the company
is greatly embarrassed by the pending
suit in conducting it's business. anC
feels that it's rights should be deter
mined AS speedily as possible