Salt Lake Herald-Republican | 1915-07-04 | Page 9 | Court Upholds Reading Group

COURt UPHOLDS READING GROUP Government Loses Suit to Break Up Alleged Combination Combination Combination tion in Hard Coal Trade Philadelphia July 3 The 3 The United States court for tor the eastern district for Pennsylvania decided ed that the Reading group of or corporations the tho Central Railroad company compan of ot New Ne Jersey the LehIgh Coal Navigation company and subsidiary and allied companies are not leagued together in an unlawful combination and therefore do not Unduly unduly Un- Un un un- dul duly restrain commerce In th the production tion sale salo or transportation of anthracite anthracite antha- antha cite coal The federal eder l government which brought the suit n nearly arl two years year ago agoto agoto to dismember tho thio alleged combination Into separate units and to nullify certain certain tam tain leases lenes wins a point In that the court suggested that the Lehigh Coal company be bo divorced from the J sey Central railroad As the subject of ot this particular separation separation tion ton was not argued In tho the trial of oC the tho case case the court suggested ted I It t. t for the consideration of counsel when the scope of the decree comes to b be de determined do- do Tho The Reading ownership of the Jerse Jersey Central railroad is not die dis The court called cled attention to certain other objections of a minor nature which however did not affect the general decision The court decided that there was no violation b by the thc Reading companies of or orthe the commodities clause of the Hepburn railroad act which prohibits a 0 railroad commodity In from transporting an any which It has an Interest The suit Is one of the tho most roost important Important important tant the government has hal brought to bre break k up what It declares to bo be an Il Illegal illegal i- i il- il legal combination in the anthracite coal business Three years cars ago the United States supreme court decided there combination was no general among the anthracite coal carriers and producing companies In violation of ot the antitrust law In that case the tho government government gov gov- averred that a number of ot smaller combinations working to together ether constituted a general combination While dismissing tho the complaint re regarding regarding ro- ro garding tho the general combination the supreme court took no action acton on theal the tho al alleged ged smaller combinations This left the government free to proceed against the tho smaller combines and of these the tho Reading the government go alleged was as tho the largest est and virtually dominated the thc hard coal trade trado