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Show MAGAZINE TRUST STIRS UNCLE SAM Conspiracy in Restraint of Interstate and Foreign Commerce. , NEW YORK, JunA.27.A civil suit wtu fllMl In th InlfNl rftatea court today for the fltufx.lutlon ( .h? Periodical rleaiiiif houM and about a arora of other m affixing affi-xing defend-n Is. Tlx petition, filed by District Attorney Wise, allege! unlawful combination and connplracy to restrain Interstate trade and foreign commerce; In magaslna and other periodical publications. publica-tions. The petion rhargea that tha defendants, defend-ants, since July. HM. have been engaged In an Illegal combination, a dissolution of which I asked for. The proceeding In equity la against the Periodical clearing house: Doublet! ay, Page A Co.; Orowell PubJluMng company., S. H. McTlure V Oi Current Literature! Publishing company. Phillips Publishing mmpany, Harper A Brothers, leslle-Jurige leslle-Jurige company. Review of Reviews company, com-pany, International Magaslna company, ! New Publication company. Butterlck i Publishing company, Hiandard Fashion. cnniftany. New Idea Publishing company, i Ma valine company, limited, hereinafter rfrred as defendant publishers; Prank X. Doubledav. Herhert 8. Houston, Frel-erick Frel-erick L. Collins. Charles D. Lanler and George Von 1' tansy. Periodical Clearing Houm Described. The periodical clearing house. In the petition. pe-tition. Is described as- a corporation or- Ranlaed under the laws of the state of ew York, carrying on business throughout through-out the United States and foreign nations, na-tions, wTTh Its offices and principal placa of business In thts city. Its authorised, capital stork Is of the par value pf 1 2000. consisting of 'twenty shares of the par value of $100 each, of which fourteen are Issued and out standi ng. I The Hu bur hen Press, a New Tortc eor-i eor-i r-or.ttlon; ood Housekeeping, a Maasa-chusetta Maasa-chusetta corporation, and Hampton's Magazine, a New York corporation, together to-gether with the defendants, are the stockholders stock-holders of record of t he defendant periodical clearing house; Douhleday. Colllna. Houston, I-anler and Von I'tanay constitute Its hoard, of directors. and Houston. Von Ctassv and lJner are respectively re-spectively ts president, vice president and aecretarv-treastirer. The officers of the periodical clearing howae are officials also of one or another of the defendant corporations engaged In the publication of magaslnea. The petition recites that prior to July. liHMt. there were upwards of J0.OO0 corporations cor-porations and individuals publishing and selling periodicals in free competition, but that following the organisation of the periodical clearing hous In July. 10. notes were sent to subscription agencies and agents "notifying them that they would have to sign the contract with tha periodical clearing house If such agencies agen-cies Intend to conduct further business with the 'members' of said periodical clearing house." The petition then recites that the periodical pe-riodical clearing house prepared a ay called "official prt.e list" of magazines and periodicals containing nilea governing govern-ing sales of subscriptions. and 'the publishers whole la price list. The petition continues: "The contracts force upon those agents ski swinirss ihem to aell all Darted lea Is not Hated In the aforesaid llsta at regulation regu-lation publication prices without any reduction whatsoever. The puhllshers of many of the periodicals listed In aald hits have been and are willing that the agenclee shsll sell their perlodlrale to the public at prices leas than those fixed by the defendents In said price lists, but said agencies have been and are prevented pre-vented by the aforesaid contracts from selling such subscriptions at less thsn the prices fixed Viy the defendants set forth In said lists." It la alleged that the clearing house bad a aystem of fines for offending agents. |