Evening star., 1947-08-26
Grand JuryC Calls
10D. T.. Dealers
In Oil Inquiry
Wide Antitrust Drive
Seen for U. S. Housing,
Petroleum Fields

4CA ldl &c blSGll lCG sdSOtlllS AIlO
oil distributors were called today
before a grand jury investigat-
ing the petroleum business in
Washington Another grand jury
was to resume an investigation
of District real estate dealers
this afternoon.
Watson Snyder of the Antitrust
Division of the Justice Department.
said the Oil inquiry probably will
run two or three weeks and as far
as he knows. will be confined to
transactions within the District.
Spokesman for the businesses al
ready under inquiry viewed Attorney
General Clark's letters of authoriza-
ton as merely the opening guns
in Justice Departments antitrust
drive on the whole field of housing
and the nationwide sale of petrol
cum products.
Far-Flung Inquiry Seen.
Letters from Attorney General
Clark to Victor H. Kramer and
Herbert N. Maletz of the Antitrust
Division concerning their powers
in pressing for grand jury action
under criminal statutes prohibiting
conspiracies In restraint of trade)
indicate that the inquiry concern
ing the National Association of Read
Estate Boards may be opening move
for a far.f1ung investigation into
every segment of the private hous-
ing industry" headquarters for the
national association declared.
Retail Gasoline Dealers, Inc, said
it probably would comment later on
similar letters which Mr.. Clark has
dispatched authorizing the oil in
vestigation.
The real estate inquiry started
Wednesday before the July grand
jury. The jury convened shortly be-
fore IL o'clock this morning, but
was reported to be considering other
matters before resuming its main
investigation early this afternoon.
April Grand Jury Called Back.
The petrole investigation
moved under way yesterday, as the
April grand jury was called back
into session at District Court.
The 10 company representatives
summoned to appear today were
directed to bring books and cor
porate papers. Those who reported
included: Amoco spokesman, w. c.
Connolly, division manager for
Maryland. the District and Viz.
ginia, and Attorneys @. H. Thomp.
son of Baltimore and II. z. Chat
fetz of washington.
C.. Horace Tuttle, New York at
torney, representing the Standard
OIL Co. of New Jersey; E. l.. Clark.
Rosslyn, va, manager of the Inde-
pendent Oil Co.; Russell Myers,
Washington, local manager Of the
Shell Oil Co.; A. D. Webster, local
manager of the Tidewater Asso-
ciated Oil Co.
E. W. Lang of Wilkes Barre, Pa,
division manager of the Cities Sery-
ice Co., and his attorney, George H.
Colin; for the Sinclair Refining Co.,
Byron Mackenzie, area manager,
and Attorneys Joseph P. Walsh, V.
r. Tomlinson, both of New York,
and Attorney Richard Sowder.
Appear for Other Firms.
Appearing for the Gulf Oil Co.
was Sam Parks, District manager,
and Archie Gray of Houston. an
attorney; for Texaco, John T. Hardy
of Norfolk, regional manager, and
Attorneys A. L. Morgan and John
J. Wilson. and for Sun Oil Co.,
Regional Manager H. L. Beckwith.
Witnesses yesterday were Wallace
S. Linfoot and r. A. Herrick, presi-
dent and executive director. re-
spectively, of Retail Gasoline Deal
ers, Inc.
"It is our understanding that the
grand jury is inquiring into the
subject of gasoline prices, but we
have no idea what information it is
trying to develop" the Standard Oil
Co. said in a statement yesterday.
THE policy of the Standard Oil
Co. of New Jersey has been. and is
today, to keep prices of petroleum
products as low as possible. In this
period of inflationary pressure we
have tried to hold prices down, and
we will, of course, be glad to give
the District of Columbia grand jury
or any other official body complete
data on what we have done in this
regard or any other subjects con-
corning which they may wish to
inquire"
In connection with the real estate
inquiry. Mr.. Kramer and Mr.. Maletz
refused to say whether this jury.
meeting in room in the Municipal
Court Building will launch into q
considerably broader field as indi-
Gated in Attorney General Clark's
letter
That letter authorized and d.
rected Mr.. MaletZ to Investigate
and prosecute alleged violations of
the Federal antitrust laws by cer-
(See ANTITRUST, Page A-6)