The Wrangell sentinel., 1950-06-30
We EznlphaticallY DenY...
An lmpOrt0nt from w. Skinner discussing the charges brought Aoska Steamship cOmpany

N June 1850 the Antitrust Division of the U. Attorney Generals Ohce filed civil injunction suit in Anchorage against the Alaska Steamship Company myself President Mr. R. C. Anderson Executive Vice President Mr. N Peterson General Traffic Manager and Mr. J. D. Nelson and Mr. Walter J. Manahan Assistant Traffic Managers At the the Antitrust lawyers procured criminal indictment against u apparently designed to serve two purposes bolster up their civil suit and b intmdate
 The criminal indictment and civil complaint are identical except with respect to the penalties demanded The criminal nd ent asks that declared criminals and the civil complaint seeks to compress into legal ag acket which would parayze us but leave competitors free operate and when they please.
 The suit, successful could mean the end of water transportation to all the Territory by private enterprise the next step toward socazed operation of ship service to the Territory the commercial operation of the and operated NORTH STAR being the first an nwaTraned attack upon and simply another strand in the being prepared by certain elements gover- ment to hang so-called "big" business.
 The Antitrust policy makers have employed inc same sIv technique against that they have used against other and much larger business enterprises While local Alaska are also to be punshed by criminal indictments only Alaska Steamship Company has been nged for enc hon by civil injunction.
 Our operations practices and subject rigid regulation under the Federal Shipping Acts These Acts clear and dene and provide heavy penalties upon proof of inn proper business practices On the other hand present Antitrust laws not cleancu body of es they have been distorted confused weer of words in which sharp lawyers find for charging almost anyone with almost anything that suits the pur pose hand frankly told by fe Antitrust lawyers in high position that violation of he Ant laws inc present time anything that their staff dream and induce the courts to sustain.
 Let me proceed with breE examination of this
 bulky indictment. It reveals the familiar pat
 tern of recent Antitrust prosecutions. Lacking evi-
 dence of ciearcut violations of the law, multitude
 of charges are thrown at US in hope that
 -1ore of them will stick.
 The indictments and complaints predicsed some amazing charges For example, The says that only the Alaska Steamship Company has undertaken furnish service to all areas and points in the Territory only the Alaska Steam ship Company has offered full line of shipping service; only the Alaska Steamship Company has been able offer passenger ice; only the Alaska Steamship Company has provided facilities tor carrying pershables and refrigerated Apparently be- we have undertaken all of the Territory because have offered full line of freight and passenger servcebecause we have done all these bad things branded criminals and our service IS to be "hamstrung by injunction.
 charged that Mr. Anderson Mr. Peterson Mr Nell son, Mr. Manahan and have conspred" acquire vir- tua monopy the business of transporting persons and modes by for hire the Alaska Trade by merging the Steamship Company The plain facts
 At the termination of the o48 maritime sre both Norhland and Alaska Transportation Company compelled to carrier operations because the heavy operating being sustained in attempting Southeastern Alaska under ALASKA STEAl
 SerUing