The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-07-12
MEMBERS OF THE FISH TRUST ARE
 FULL OF FIGHT
Will Garry Edict of Dissolu- tion to U. s. Supreme
 Court.
CLAIM MADE OF
 TRADE RESTRAINT
Finding Calls For Opening of Fish Pier to Individual
 Dealers.

Following an edict of the United States District Court for the district of Massachusetts that the Bay State Fishing Company and the Boston Fish Pier Company must dissolve, and that the regulations of the New England Fish Exchange must be materially changed, officials of the so-cal1ed fish trust yesterday afternoon declared that the issue would be fought and, in all probability, carried to the United States Supreme Court.
 On June 21. 1917, the United States government brought a bill in equity to prevent the New England Fish Ex- change and others from further vio- lating the sherman act by ''combin- ing and conspiring to monopolize and restraining a part of the trade and commerce among the several States in the fresh fish industry of New Eng land, and particularly in that class of fresh fish known as groundfish and certain migratory or seaSonable fish, of which mackerel is an example"
 The case was heard by Judges Al drich, Johnson and Bingham, who, in the case of the Boston Fish Pier Co.,, stated:
 Tt was strenuously insisted upon at the trial that the union of the 2S
 
 gave to that company such a pre- dominance on the fish pier and con- trol over the flow of fish there in in terstate commerce that it was in it. self an illegal combination in re- straint of trade and offended the Sherman act as well as Section of the Clayton act; and we think that the evidence bears out the conten- tion.''
 Regarding the Bay State Fishing Co.,, which comprises eight dealers all members of the fish exchange, the court concluded:
 We think that the Bay State Fish ing Go. is a com bination in unrea- sonable restraint of trade in inter- state commerce, and that the com bination which now exists, whereby it engaged in the production and dis tribution of fresh fish, should be dis solved by restoring its eight dealers to the competitive conditions under which they formerly did business on the pier and throus:l the exchange; and that the Bay State Fishing Co. should be restrained from in any way interfering with or making use of the business and good will of the eight constituent dealers in the marketing of fish,
 The finding also calls for the open ing of the fish pier for individual deal ers--open, in fact, to the entire pub Hc-and affirms that the exchange must be run on a basis which will for ever preclude the possibility of an air tight trust or monopolization of the fresh fish industry of New England. In conclusion the courts edict says:
 If the parties cannot agree upon the terms for opening up the pier and the exchange, then the decrees to be prepared may include a provision dis solving the exchange and the Boston Fish Pier corporation, and stating the mode and manner in which the disso- lution shall be effected
 P. Ralph Duffy, assistant general manager of the Bay State Fishing O., some of whose officials were re- gently fined and given jail terms in 1,~ dividual indictments dealing with the same trust allegations, stated yes- terday that individuals could never handle the fish industry as it should ton with Arthur P. French, general counsel of the company. stated that the United States Supreme court would be appealed to.
 Pending a decision We shall con tinue to do our business in the same manner as heretofore" stated MT. Duffy. "but our plans for increasing our fishing fleet to 30 trawlers. there by increasing our production and low ering the price to consumers, must, of course, be laid on the shelf for the present.