The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-08-14
10 CEMENT COS.
ARESUED BY US.
Combination and Conspiracy
in Restraint of Trade Are
Charged.
BIG CUTS IN PRODUCTION
Prices Raised More Than 200
Per Cent, Says Action
Filed by Palmer.
BIG CUTS IN PRODUCTION
Special Despatch 10 The Sun.

oOcCtot De5putCN 10 IHh bUN.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 13.-Nineteen ce-
meht manufacturing corporations are
charged with combination and con-
spiracy in restraint OF trade in the
first antitrust suit brought by the
Wilson Administration as a part Of the
campaign against the high cost of liv-
ing. The action was brought In the
New Jersey District Court to-day.
Attorney-General PaIper, C. B.
Ames, assistant to the Attorney Gen
eral in charge Of antitrust suits, and
Henry s. Mitchell. special assistant to
Mr.. Palmer, signed the Government
bill Of complaint in addition to Joseph
L. Bodine, District Attorney. Mr..
Mitchell will conduct the case as spe-
ciai counsel for the Government.
1t is alleged that the cement manu-
facturers, all having plants in Penn
sylvania, New Jersey, New York, Mary
land and West Virginia, have conspired
to limit and decrease production to hx
and to increase prices The Government
bill declares that through restriction OF
output and by combination the price was
put up 200 per cent in two years.
Many Companies Named.
The companies named are:
Atlas Portland Cement Company, with
plants at Northampton. Pa, and Hud-
son. N Y; Allentown Portland Cement
Do pha nrf-
land Cement Company Mannheim, w.
Va. Alpha, N. j.. Martins Creek, Pa,
and Cementon. n. Y; Bath Portland
Cement Company, Bath. Pa: Coplay
Cement Manufacturing Company. Coplay
and Saylors. Pa: Dexter Portland
Cement Company, Nazareth. Pa. Edison
Portland Cement Company. New VII
lage. n. j.; Giant Portland Cement
Company, Egypt. Pa. and Norfolk. Va;
Glens Falls Portland Cement Company.
Glens Falls. N. Y; Hercules Cement
Corporation, Hercules. Pa: Knicker-
booker Portland Cement Company, Hud-
son, n. Y; Lawrence Cement Company.
Siegfried, Pa. Lehigh Portland Cement
Company, Ormrod, West Coplay, Fogels-
vile, New Castle. Pa, and Fordwick.
Va; Nazareth Portland Cement Com
pany, Bath. Pa. Penn-Allen Cement
Company. Nazareth, Pa; Pennsylvania
Cement Company. Bath, Pa; Phoenix
Portland Cement Company, Nazareth.
Pa; Security Cement and Lime Com
pany, Security, Md, and Berkeley. w.
Va, and Vulcanite Portland Cement
Company, Vulcanite, y. J.
The Government sets forth that these
manufacturers were ganized Il MEM
bers of the Association Of Lie nsed Ce-
ment Manufacturers FRI m 1905 to 1911.
using a patent process for cement maxi
ing They were required to sell at GER
tain uniform prices. In 1912 the Court
Of App ais held that the pat mt did not
prevent manufacture by the same pro-
IS through other apparatus, and tho
association was abandoned.
Kept Prices Uniform.
Nevertheless, 1t is declared. the de-
PENDANTS continued to adhere TO uniform
prices reached through the use of a So
called freight book" The prices we're
not consistently he to, however, and in
1915 competition brought sharp de-
cline to about sixty-five cents barrel.
In addition. production W lergely in
contracts for future delivery.
The Government complaint describes
the conspiracy In part thus:
an 1915, and continuously thereafter
to the present time, the defenda- -ts
knowingly engaged in combination and
conspiracy in restraint OF interstate
trade and commerce in Portland cement.
81. To restrict the defendants aggre-
gate production of such cement (aggre-
gate capacity being 5o,O00,000 barrels
per annum) to about 3O,000.00 barrels
in 1915, about 100000 barrels in
1916, about $4,000, 00O barrels in 1917
about $4,000, 900 barrels In 1918. and
and
"2. To decrease the aggregate amount
OF cement under contract to be delivered
by the defendants In the future at prices
specIfied from much more than 1S,000,-
600 barrels to about $4,000, 900 barrels
as Of June /, 1917. about 100000 bar
rels as of June /. 1913, and about 4,000,-
900 barrels as OF June l. 1919; and
80 To sell cement at delivered prices
with freight paid). which were uniform
at any one time among all the defend
ants for cement for any given point of
delivery; and 10 increase such delivered
prices from time TO time enough to in
crease by about 200 per cent. the prices
per barrel (exclusive OF freight) received
by the defendants Orom about 65 cents
in 1915 to about s1.s5 at present)."
1t is then Set forth that the manufac-
turers created an unincorporated asso-
citation, and that this association ac-
complished all the things specified.