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Show Uo u lift 10 United States Steel Company Com-pany MayBe Dissolved as Result New York, May 7. The government began its suit to dissolve the United States Steel corporation yesterday by attacking one of its largest subsidiaries, subsid-iaries, the American Steel and Wire company, with the intent to prove that ever since Its organization In 1SS9 down to a year ago It had been a party to pools, agreements or understandings un-derstandings to restrain trade. The testimony taken before Henry P. Brown of Philadelphia, special commissioner com-missioner In the case, was given by two witnesses, Wallace Buell of Port-chester, Port-chester, N Y.. a retired Independent wire manufacturer, and Georgo E. Holton. president of the Bryden Horseshoe company of Catasaun.ua, Pa., who, with others, was indicted and fined in the so-called "wire pool" cases about a year ago. There are seven of these alleged pools, covering different kinds of wire named in the government's complaint, and Holton testified as to the formation forma-tion of the American Horseshoe association asso-ciation In .July, 19Di( three months before be-fore the organization of tho Steel corporation. cor-poration. The association, he snid, was for the purpose of controlling prices and was composed of nine organizations, or-ganizations, among them the American Steel and Wire and his own corporation corpora-tion "Didn't the vice president gt tho American Steel and Wire company state in one Instance that Judge Gary of the United States Steel company had uo knowledge of this pool?" asked C. A. Severance, one of the defendant's defend-ant's lawyers. "Yes, he did," replied the witness. "Judge Gary had, no knowledge of It as far as 3 know." "Didn't the American Steel and Wire company withdraw from it because be-cause Judge Gary found It out?" "That I don't know; I only know the American Steel and Wire corporation corpo-ration got out." MomberB of tho American Steel and Wlro company, however, participated informally about a month after the dissolution until after the government govern-ment investigation -was begun last year, the witness paid. The meetings wore discontinued then, he said, on the advice of Edwin E. Jackson, supervisor of this and other wire poolswho was himself In- - - t dieted and fined. "At tnese informal meeting3 we es.gbaiied Information and every man fcuew what every oth. er man's price would be next day, said Holton. who added that under the new arrangement prices were not always al-ways uniform. There were five or six companies, including the American Steel and Wire company, which usually usu-ally named the same prices. During the discussion of the formal for-mal agreement. Holton testified, it was Jackson's duty to name thecoa-corn thecoa-corn which should accept the bids of the United States government, Holton read Into the record a number num-ber of letters written by him to .TacK-son .TacK-son In behalf of bis company in w-hich he accused the American Steel and Wire company of an agreement to maintain prices. Tho letter asserted that tho subsidiary was cutting prices on Honolulu business and unless some action Is take" we shall see that we get our fair share of that business." busi-ness." In another letter Holton remarked that Inasmuch as tbe American Steel' and Wire company did uot seem to have a clear understanding of the agreement, "it would bo well for ih not to have a clear understanding also." |