The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-01-09

i in the south, ana, when Iully ueNel- oped, will be sure to be one of the greatest in the world, than if these orders came to northern industrial plants.
 The steel corporation has been anx- ious-not only upon the grounds of economy, but also for the purpose of understanding what It's rights under the law are--to have the supreme court pass, as soon as possible, upon the appeal which the department of justice made from the decision of the lower court which was in favor of the steel corporation Had the department of Justice accepted the decision of the lower court and abandoned further proceedings, the steel corporation
 would already have greatly expanded and improved it's facilities for the
 manufacture of commodities which arc at this time especially needed for war purposes and which, after the war is ended, will be of the utmost service, especially in maintaining our foreign trade.
 From the point of view of economy the managers of the steel corporation feel that they should be no longer sub- jected to the heavy expense which has been entailed by the prosecution by the department of justice of the cor poration. So far the cost placed upon the steel corporation in defending itself has been heavy-several hum dred thousands dollars directly, and probably as much indirectly.
 In this respect however, the corpor- ation does not differ from others which have been compelled by action | of the department of Justice to de- | fend themselves. The cost which one corporation in the midwest was com yx aafa inc itself II proceedings brought by the depart ment of Justice was somewhat in ex. cess of ss1 ,00o.eo0, and yet the prosecu, l ton of this corporation came te naught The heavy expenses entailec | in defending corporations against | which the department of justice has acted was one of the reasons which | led Howard Elliott, when president oi the New Haven railroad, and Theodore N Vail, as president of the American Telephone company, to accept, without l opposition, certain compromise propo- l sitions which were offered by the de.
 partment of justice. And yet the New Haven Railroad company is now com pelled to do the very things whicf | the department of justice declared te
 be unlawful and the governments re- l lation to the great telephone corpor- ation will probably result in compell. 1 ing that corporation to do precisely tn, l things which the department of justice
 declared sometime ago were illegal.
 THE INDIRECT LOSS
 l R. " Lindanbury, counsel of tht | United States Steel corporation, hal stated that if the request of the de l partment of justice that the hearing: | in the antitrust cases be postponed
 until a later term of the court bt granted, the result will be consider l able additional loss-to the corporation I to its stockholders and its employees I The government Is compelling the cor poration to make large investments 1T additional plant facilities and also tt entail other expenses to meet the wal requirements of the government | l these expenses should be maintained I another year through postponement O. l the hearing against the steel corpora l ton they would entail a great deal o, loss to the corporation in case tht court decided that it should be dis solved.
 l MT. Lindanbury further states tha' l the foreign trade built up by the cor poration, the money value of whicf
 was $100,000,000 a year at the time proceedings began three years ago l will, if this business Is to be main. l .ained- compel great activity ant | large expenditures. These, however could not be reasonably undertaken a, l long as a threat of dissolution of tho corporation remains. If the corpora. ton Is to be dissolved simple justice
 requires that this should be done i'm.
 mediately, in the view of the corpor. uttOn.
 1 It seems to be common opinion tha' the action of the department of justice | in asking for pCStponement of ths l hearing in the antitrust cases is really due to the extraordinary, and from one point of view, a somewhat l embarrassing situation in which the ! government now finds himself. For the