The Daily Alaska empire., 1950-06-27
We ElnphaticallY DenY...
An importont from Mr. c. w. Skinner charges brought the Alaska Company.

ON June lo5O the Antitrust Division of the U. S. Attorney Generals Office filed civil injunction suit in Anchorage against the Alaska Steamship Company myself President Mr. R. C. Anderson Executive Vice President Mr. H. N Peterson General Traffic Manager, and Mr. D. Nelson and Mr. Walter Manahan Assistant Traffic Managers At the time the Antitrust lawyers procured criminal indictment against apparently designed pposes-(a bolster up their civil suit and (b) intimidate The criminal ndcaen and civil complaint identical except with respect to the penalties demanded. The criminal ndc asks that be declared criminals and the civil complaint seeks compress into legal aghj jacket which would paayze but leave competitors free operate and when they please.
 The sut if successful could mean the end of water transportation 10 all the Territory by private enterprise It the step toward ocazed operation of ship service the Territory the commercial operation of the and operated NORTH STAR being the first It is unwaranted attack upon company and simply another strand the being prepared by elements govern ment to hang socaed big business
 The Antitrust policy makers have employed the sly technique against that they have used against other and much larger business enterprises While local Alaska businessmen also be punished by criminal indictments only Alaska Steamship Company has been singled for exnc ton by civil injunction.
 Our operations practices and subject to rigid regulation under the Federal Shipping Acts These Acts clear and definite and provide heavy penalties upon proof of proper business practices On the other hand the present Antitrust laws ceancut body of re they have been distorted confused we of words in which sharp lawyers find for charging almost anyone with almost anything that the pr pose hand frankly told by of the Antitrust lawyers in high position that violation of the Antitrust laws at the time anything that their staff dream up and induce the courts to sustain.
 Let proceed with brief examinaton of this
 bulky indictment. It reveals the familiar pat-
 tern of recent Antitrust prosecutions Lacking evi-
 denee of eIeareut violations of the law multitude
 of charges thrown at in hope that one or
 of them will stick.
 The indictments and complaints pedeated on some amazing charges For example, The government says that only the Alaska Steamship Company has undertaken furnish to all and points the Territory only the Alaska Steam ship Company has offered full line of shipping servce only the Alaska Steamship Company has been able offer only the Alaska Steamship Company has provided facilities for carrying perishabes and refrigerated cargo Apparently be- have undertaken all of the Territory because have offered full line of freight and passenger have done all these bad things branded criminals and service Is to be "hamstrung by injunction.
 It charged that Mr. Anderson, MT. Peterson Mr. Nell son, Mr. Manahan and have eonspired to acquire vr- tua monoPy of the business of transporting persons modes by for hire in the Alaska Trade by merging the operations of Norhland Transportation Company and Alaska Steamship Company The plain facts
 At the termination of the lo48 strike both Norand and Alaska Transportation Company compelled carrier operations because of the heavy operating being sustained in attempting Southeastern Alaska under existing rate levels and by the payment of full charter hire ALASKA STEFAN
 Serving