Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-08-16
FISK MONOPOLY
And Profteering at the
Public's Expense
Charges Contained in Secret In
dictment Returned by Suffoek,
tMass.) Grand Jury Against q
Men Prominent in Financial A.
fairs and Is Others

Men Prominent in Financial A.
fairs and Is Others
Boston. AVG. 15-Charges of Great
ing q monopoly in fresh fish and of
profit ering in this food at the en-
oci>e Of the public were contained in
a secret Indictment returned by a
Suffolk county grand jury today
against four men prominent in finan-
tial affairs and % other individuals
identified with the fishing Industry of
It's por:. Because OF the Dominating
position of the Boston Fish market
and the effect Of its prices on the
price Of fish III many parts of the
country interest in the indictments is
far reaching. District Attorney Pei
letter .tated tonight that he would
as; for a special session Of court in
October to try the cases. The grad
nal increase in the price of fresh fish
following the advice of food conser-
walton authorities to the public TO
save meat and eat fish resulted in
action by the authorities. One count
Of the Indictment which charges viu-
Ia non OF a state statute says that GER
tain Of the defendants. conspired to
inJure tho inhabitants of the COM
fIvnwealth and the public in general
hy creating q monopoly in fresh fish
anC thereby fixing. regulating and
controlling the p.ICeS of fish until Il
rose 20 4 price be, ond what was fair
AZ reasonable. The list of these in
dictod IS headed by Frederick NJ.
Over, banker and a broker of New
YORK. As president of the Bay State
Fishing Company he is the leading
promoter If the monopoly. The
CHEERS N the list arc Galcn J.. Stone.
a member OF the firm of Hayden.
stone & Co.. bankers and brokers of
tvs" city: Fdereick G. Dumaine of
Boston. treasurer Of several lars"
manufa curing companies and Arthur
" Wainwright of Milton. director ct
t;r .''.y State Fishing Go.
TIE other % individuals indicted
are either dealers or employees of
dealers at TIE Commonwealth Fish
Per here. They are Joshua Paine.
Joseph a. Rich, Ernest A. James
Willard r, Cox. Albert +. Watts
t.phraim y. Cook, John Burns. Jr,
William r. McKeon. Herbert A Rich.
Winfield s. kcndrick. Herbert T.
Phillips William f. Curran, Simeon
Atwood. Jr, Alvin G.. Baker. Louis f.
Goodspeed, Samuel r. McIntirc, Jr.,
John NcWbury. Charles Foley. Ear-
rison Sawyer, VIM, Stoddard, Byron
y. McGrath, Edward +. Cosgrove,
Walter r. Smith, Harvey G. Daley
and Robert Campbell. All defend
ants are specifically charged with
having consnircd with Herbert *
Hallet. president Of the Boston Bank.
Arthur II. French. general counsel of
the Bay State Co. and Ralph Duffy,
manager Of the company. AZ three
persons were witnesses at recent
Legislative hearings on the fish in
dustry, the grand Jurors said they
decided not to indict ttem. The in
dictment is framed under the COM
mon law relating to conspiracy and
the Massachusetts statute which
mak3 it unlawful To combine for the
purpose of destroying the trade or
business Of persons engaged in sell
ling goods. Upon conviction of a
common law conspiracy the maxi
mum penalty is Imprisonment for
three years, and the penalty pre-
scrihed by the statute TO prohibit
discrimination in the sale of COM
modities is a fine of not less than
$500 or more than $4,000 or imprison-
ment for not less than one month or
more than one year.
Attorney General Atwili presented the
evidence to the grand jury. One count
in the indictment states that the Bay
State Fishing Co. was organized under
the laws of this state in 1905 and was at
the time the largest producing company
Of its kind in the United States. Its
capital was $500, go. The transformation
Of this company in 1916 from a Massa-
chusetts to Maine corporation with
capital 1f times as large was brought
about, the indictment says. through the
efforts of Mr.. Dyer Later. it is alleged.
Fisheries Co. with a capital of $4,000 600
TO operate the production field south Of
New England. Thus virtually all the
fresh fish industry of the Atlantic sea-
board was under the control of Mr..
Dyer and his associates Messrs. Hal
lett, Stone. Dumain and Wainwright
were directors of the new Bay State
Co. but resigned on March S last the
lay after the fish investigation commit
tee Of the legislature was appointed.
Means Of enabling the Bay State Co. 20
control the fish industry OF New Eng
and It appeared that II competing con-
Germs were induced to join the combina-
hon, The Bay State Co, it was chare-
ed. ought to reimburse the wholesale