Evening star., 1962-09-13
Copper, Brass
Firms Indicted
In Price Fixing


HARTFORD, Conn, Sept. l3
(AP) Government antitrust
lawyers have obtained an in
dictment Of II brass and copper
firms-including some Of the
biggest companies in the in
dustry-on charges of price
fixing.
The Indictment handed down
yesterday by q special grand
jury in United States District
Court here also named seven
individuals. officers of the
companies.
The Indictment against the
brass manufacturers charges
that they acted in concert to
fix prices on copper and brass
tube and pipe from 1856 until
1861. /
Denails came quickly from
officials Of some of the COM
panies.
National Distillers and Chem
ical Corp, whose subsidiary,
Bridgeport Brass Co., was one
Of those cited, said:
THE existence Of keen and
vigorous competition between
the numerous domestic pro-
ducers Of brass mill products
is, We believe. indisputably at
tested to by the fact that over
the past five years prices of
these products have steadily
and substantially declined in i
spite Of rising costs"
Competition Intense
Another defendant company,
Cerro Corp. of New York City,
a diversified metals firm, said,
competition in the brass in
dustry has been as intense as
any in which we are engaged"
The companies asked that the
public reserve Judgment until
the accused have had q chance
to defend themselves in court.
The grand Jury was called
in March Of last year follow
ing reports that the Tennessee
Valley Authority had received
six identical bids when it sought
to purchase some brass tubing
for q steam electric plant in
Alabama.
According to the Government,
the bids should have differed
somewhat If they were coming
from firms engaged in true
competition.
Tons of company records
were trundled to Hartford dur
ing the lengthy investigation.
The grand jury held IS ses-
sions.
Other Companies
Besides Cerro Corp. and
Bridgeport Brass. the indicted
companies are:
Anaconda American Brass
Co.. Of Waterbury, q wholly
owned subsidiary Of Anaconda
Co., Inc; Chase Brass and
Copper. Inc, Of Waterbury, a
wholly owned subsidiary of
Kennecott Copper Co.: Scovill
Manufacturing Co., Of Water
bury; Phelps Dodge Copper
Products Corp. Of New York
City, a wholly owned subsidiary
Of Phelps Dodge Corp; Revere
Copper and Brass, Inc, of New
York City; Calumet and Hecla,
Inc, of Chicago; Mueller Brass
Co., Of Port Huron, Mich;
Triangle Conduit and Gable
Co., Inc, of Philadelphia. Pa.
The individual defendants
were:
Maurice Liston, jr., sales
manager of Scovill; Richard L.
Allen, vice president and as
sistant general manager of
Bridgeport Brass; Justice Lock-
wood, q vice president of Ana
conda American Brass; Edgar
p. Dunleavy. president of Phelps
Dodge Copper Products Corp;
Richard H. Levin, vice presi-
dent of Cerro; John M. Dumser,
formerly director of marketing
Of the Wolverine Tube division
of Calumet and Hecla; and
Alfred c. Dappert, vice presi-
dent for sales of Mueller.
The action against the brass
and copper firms follows the
price fixing case in the electrical
equipment manufacturing in
dustry last year.
That case sent seven busi-
nessmen to jail for short terms
and resulted in fines totaling
nearly 81 million for 20 COM
panies. Damage suits running
into many millions of dollars
are pending against the COM
panies involved.