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Show ANTITRUST SUIT OPENS Hearings Against Quaker Oats and Great Western Cereal Companies Begin. Chicago, March 19. Hearings in the government's anil-trust suit against the Quaker Oats company and the Great Western Cereal company began here today. Evitlenco was taken tak-en before Miss" Kate S. Holmes, special spe-cial examiner, "The government charges," said James II. Wilkorson, United Slates district attorney, "that the defendants defend-ants are In conspiracy to monopolize the oatmeal business of the country. It seeks tho dissolution of tho company com-pany and asks that it be enjoined from interstate commerce until the dissolution Is complotc. "Prior to 1801." said Mr. Wilker-son, Wilker-son, "thcro were eleven principal oatmeal plants lu tho country, situated situat-ed In Ohio. Illinois and Iowa. Thoy were members of a pool known as the Consolidated Oatmeal company. After the passage of the trust act they wcro merged into tho American Cereal company which In 1902 was taken over by the Quaker Oats com-! com-! pany. "The independents organized into the Great Weetern Cereal company In 1901, A price fixing agreement was made between the two companies. The government charges that lu 1911, Joy Morton wrecked the Great Western West-ern company and sold all Its plants that were making money to tho Quaker Oats company." Joy Morton, H. P. Crowcll, Robert Stuart, James H. Douglass, John Stuart. Stu-art. A. Sanford White and John Welling Wel-ling aro Individual defendants In tho suit. |