The Hawaiian gazette., 1918-02-22
DRASTIC, ACTION TAKEN.
BY HUBER TO PUT STOP
TO BOARDING OF FISH
Captain Of One Sapan Arrested and Others Are Sur
mOned To Sh& Cause Why They Should Not
Be PrOceededAgainst; Low Charges COmbina-
) ton In Restraint Of Trade; Frank Cooke
Says fishermen Within Rights

Drastic action TO break the power of
the alleged fish combination which is
charged with being responsible for the
high price of fish was aken by the
federal authorities late yeterday when
summOnses were served ofthe captains
of several of the JAPANESE fishing sam
pans to appear before United States
Attorney Huber and shOv cause why
warrants should not issue for their ar
rest on charges of boarding food.
This first definite STEP in a deter
mined effort to smash the alleged com
bination followed the arrst earlier in
the day of another fishig captain on
a charge of boarding food
1t was stated last night by Eben
Low, chief lieutenant of Food Admin
istrator Child, that 4 summons had
been served or was to be Served on A.
f. Cooke, whom Low asseted to be the
head of what he callt the "fish
trust" Mr.. Cooke said Ever the telc-
phone later in the evening, however,
that no papers had been s,rved on him.
Mr.. Cookies Stand
81 did see, - he said, 'some foolish
papers that were served IN four of the
sampan captains, but th@ we're ridicu
lous. What business is i of Mr.. Child
whether or not the fishermen sell their
fish, The fish belong b them, don 7
theyf l don I see where Mr.. Child had
any right to tell them hey must put
them on the market if thy don t want
to-
Anyway" added Mr. Cooke, "the
man who was arrested this morning
had got in only the night before and
he was tired and didnt feel like tax
ing his fish TO the markd.'
Mr.. Cooke denied flatk that any of
the fishermen were boarding fish, max
ing the point that it would do them no
good, as Mr.. Child had fRed the prices
at which the fish should be sold.
But Eben Low stated categorically
last night that he personally had exam
ined several of the fiihing sampans
and found their fish wells filled with
fish that he said the fishermen had
held of the market. II vas on this ac-
taken up with United States Attorney
Huber and summonses Issued by him
and served by Marshal Sniddy.
Anti Trust Action
Mr., Low said also that action against
the hoarders would probably be taken
for violation of the ANTITRUST laws, he
asserting that the three fishing com
Panies are acting in restraint of trade.
e 81 have obtained absolute proof"
said Mr.. Low, "that the three fishing
companies have an agreement among
hemselves-Frank Cooke calls it a
gentleman 5 agreement but Mr.. Child
and call it something very different
to restrict the sale of fish. 1t works
this way: There are three fish mar
kets-the Eva market on King Street,
the Waikiki market on the same street
and the market toward the waterfront.
IN "Now, the Hawaii Fishing Company,
Of which Frank Cooke is the head con
trolls the market toward the water
front; the Pacific Fishing Company,
headed by Charlie Chillingworth, con
trolls the Waikiki King Street market,
and the other Japanese company con
trolls the Eva market Oh King.
Restraint Of Trade
Each company controls certain sam,
pans, and the agreement is to the eff
feet that each company shall supply
only the stalls of the market which it
controls. For instance, the sampans of
the Hawaii Fishing Company may como
in with big supply of fish, too much
to be disposed of in only one of the
markets. Yet, under the gentlemen $
agreement, none of the fish can be
sold to either of the other markets.
fIf that isn't combination in re-
straint of trade, don t know what it
10.
>. 81 consider it a mighty unpatriOtic
thing for Mr.. Cooke to enter into that
kind Of an agreement and keep up the
price Of fish that the people of this
city need, especially at this time when
the United States is at war.
But we've run the FISH trust to
its den at last, and from now on things
are going to happen fast. We're going
to bust the combination. They II find
out they cant buck the government of
the United States and get away with
it.D1
Huber Takes Action
Such old agreements among the fish.
ermen, stall men and fishing compan-
les, as amount to combinations in
restraint of trade, under United States