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Show I I HHm CHARGED True Bill Is Also Returned Against Swift & Co., Chicago Chi-cago Meat Packers. MAY PAY HEAVY FINES Action of Grand Jury Due to Evidence of Government Special Agents. CHICAGO, Jan. 31. Inclietaionta charging rotating on tho part of tho Chicago & Northwestern railroad, the Pennsylvania system and tho Ann Arbor Ar-bor Bailroad company of Michigan and Swift & Co., moat packers, woro returned re-turned today "by tho federal grand jury which has boon hearing eridcnce for neveral tvcoIcs from apodal agents of tho intorstato commerce commission. Swift & Co. aro charged with obtain- ing alleged rebates from the Ann Arbor road by getting carload rates on loss, than car shipments. The Pennsylvania lines east of Pittsburg aro churged with rebating to tho W. H. Merritt Grain company of Chicago by allowing switching rofundB to which tho grain company was not entitled. The Chicago & Northwestern railroad is uccusod or granting rebates to David Butter & Co., coal dealers, on shipments of coal from Littlo, Ind., to Evanston, 111., by means of an improper combination combi-nation of rates. Face Heavy Fine. Swift & Co. face a 'possible fine of $1,200,000. Tho 'bill charges sixty alleged al-leged violations of the intorstato commerce com-merce laws. Tho Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Cincinna-ti, Chicago & 8t. Louis railway, known as tho Panhandlo and tho Pennsylvania compuny, are named in ono joint indictment in-dictment and a separate indictment, in addition is rotumod against tho Pan-hundlo. Pan-hundlo. Swift & Co. may be liable for fines of $20,000 each on tho sixty counts. It was charged thnt tho packing company obtained concessions from tho published pub-lished carload rates of the Chicago & Northwestern road and tho Ann Arbor Bailrond company on various shipments from Chicago to points on tho Ann Arbor Ar-bor road. The concessions wore obtained, ob-tained, .it is said, by obtaining carload rates on loss than carload shipments. Outlawed Charges. Tho indictments against tho Pennsylvania Pennsyl-vania lines and the Panhandle con-corn con-corn alleged rebates to tho W. II. Merritt Mer-ritt Grain company of Chicago. The charges aro that tho Pennsylvania linos oust of Pittsburg, which include tho Panhandle system, rebated to tho Merritt Mer-ritt firm bv allowintr car switching charges which had boon outlawed and some of which were ton years old. P. F. Marsh, special agent . of tho interstate inter-state commorco commission, testified beforo the grand jury that switching claims calling for refunds of $2 a car wero attached to freight bills and allowed al-lowed without question by tho railway auditors, although tho grain company had no right to collect them. The single indictment against the Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis rond charges sir, instances of re-hating re-hating against the B. A. Eckhart Milling Mill-ing company of Chicago. The road may 'bo fined $120,000 on those counts. Liable to Fine of $120,000. Tho Northwestern is liable to a fine of $120,000 on the six charges of rebating re-bating to tho Ruttor company, and tho Pennsylvania and Panhandle aro liable for $100,000 on tho charges of rebating rebat-ing to the Merritt company if tho charges are sustained. Tho grand jury, "which waa called specially to cons'idor the interstate commorco commission charges, announced an-nounced that it had not completed ito work and will resume deliberation! Monday. |