The Daily Alaska empire., 1950-06-09
MANY BIG z, CONCERNS
 INDICTED!
Indictments Also Cover Distribution of Meats. li-
 quor, Fuel, Food, Others

WASHINGTON, June g = R = Attorney General McGrath today announced a grand jury in Alaska has returned indictments charging antitrust law violations in a half dozen important business fields.
 He said 10 such indictments were returned, sealed. at Anchorage last Monday.
 Opened today before US. Judge Anthony J. Dimond, they charged price, fixing and restraints of trade in shipping, the distribution of meats. food sales, fuel supplies, the liquor business. dry cleaning and taxicab services.
 The indictments named B cor porations, 138 individuals and two retail liquor dealers associations, all doing business in Alaska.
 The list of defendants ranged from the big Alaska Steamship Company of Seattle. Wash. to Last Chance, Inc. retail liquor outlet at Anchorage.
 Nine Indictments
 Attorney General McGrath made it clear that more indictments are to come as a result of years il1- vestigation into what he described as "collusive arrangements among business groups which have ob- structed the development and ex- pansion of the Alaska economy" In g statement. the Justice De- partment said that Alaska Stcam- ship Company virtually controls the economy of Alaska, since 1t is the only steamship company serving the entire territory"
 Civil Antitrust Suit
 McGrath said that in addition to the indictment against this com pany, he is also filing civil anti trust suit against it at Anchorage. He said the civil su.r will ask for broad injunction against prac- tices which McGrath said had ex- cluded substantially all competition in the transportation of freight and passengers to and from Alaska. Skinner Indicted Gilbert w. Skinner of Seattle. President of Alaska Steamship, was indicted along with the company Another of the indictments charged that Healy River Coal Cor poration of Suntrana and An- chorage, Evan Jones Coal O.. of Anchorage, and Usibelli Coal Mine. Inc, of Fairbanks. maintained agreements CD to divide the Alaskan fuel market. and CD to fix prices at which they sell some $2,500,O00 worth of coal to the United States for military establishments each year.
 The companies were described as doing more than o5 percent of the fuel business in the Territory. Lathrop Indicted The Healy River. Coal Corpora ton is headed by A. E. Lathrop of Fairbanks who. the Department said. has wide variety of interests in Alaska, where he has lived for some 40 years. Lathrop was also named in the indictment.
 An alleged conspiracy to fix liquor prices throughout Alaska was charged to a large group of wholesale and retail dealers in An chorage, Fairbanks. Ketchikan and Seward.
 | Other Indictments
 One indictment alleged that meat dealers in Ketchikan had conspired to prevent others from entering into competition with them. Taxi- cab operators at Anchorage were ac- cused of a similar alleged conspir- acy in their line of business.
 Anchorage dry cleaners were charged with raising and fixing the prices for their services.
 The actions in Alaska are with out precedent. A Department OIIl- cial asserted that this is the first time we have made an all-out drive to clean up restraints in an entire Territory at one time. We are not through up there. This is just the first group of cases"
 Other Indictments
 One retail liquor indictment namedKetchikan, the Retail Liquor Dealers Association and these Ket- chikan residents M. Bellanrich. Anton Budinick. Thomas Chandler, R. II. Copeland. Reubeyc Crossett, Gus Cruse, Charles Graham. Jo- sephine Hill. Oscar Holland. Law