Lumber Group Fined in Trust Suit

The Western Pine Association, 59 lumber companies and 14 lndividuals entered pleas of nolo contendere io charges gf violating the_sherman anti-trust law at Los Angeles*on February 6 and were fined a total of $81,50O Uliunitea States District Judge Harry A. Hollzer. The iniictments were returned by the government last October.

The Association was fined $5000, 33 companies were fined amounts ranging from $1000 to $4000, 26 companies were gjven suspended sentences and placed on one year,s probation, and 14 individuals, officers and directors of the Association, were each fined $500.

The anti-tiust charges were dismissed against 4O lumber companies and, 14 individuals.

By this p.lea they made no answer to the charges, but accepted the fines assessed by the court. Simultaneously Judge Hollzer approved the entry of a consent decree on motion of Tom A. Clark, special assistant to the United States attorney general.

Under the consent decree the defendants agree to abandon: the curtailment program; meetings to eichange price information; issuance of sales reports; issuance oI aifi"ren_tial price lists; issuance of averag'e weight tables ; and other practices complained of in the indictment.

Oscar Lawler, Los Angeles attorney, chief of the defense counsel, stated the defendants did not know they were vio_ lating the law and many, including various attorneys, are still of that view. He said they h1d determined triai ttre patriotic thing to do was to repress their personal views of the merits of the case and thereby eliminate the necessity for a lengthy trial.

In addition to the Western pine Association, fined $5000, the following individual officers were fined $500 each : ^ S_yifj P-"*y, president; James G. McNary, vice president; S.. V. Fullaway lr., secretary-manager; W. B. G'riffee, assistant secretary-manager.

Directors: C. L. Billings, J. F. Coleman, R. A. Colgan, C. L. Isted, W. C. Lubrecht, R. R. Macartney, eugu;t 1. Stange, A. J. Voye, T. S. Walker, J. M. Whiie.

Fines or suspended sentences were imposed upon com_ panies as follows:

Fined $4000 each-Brooks-Scanlon Lumber Company, Inc.; Long-Bell Lumber Company, Red River Lumber'Company, Weyerhaeuser Sales Company.

$3000 each-Anaconda Copp'er Mining Company, Fruit Growers' Supply Company, Edward Hines Lumber CompanJr, J. Neils Lumber Company.

$2500 each-McCloud River Lumber Company, potlatch Forests, Inc.; Shevlin-Hixon Companv, Shevtin -pine Sales Company, Weyerhaeuser Timber Company.

$2000 each-Boise Payette Lumber Company, Diamond Match Company, Feather River Lumber Compiny, Kesterson Lumber Corporation, Long Lake Lumber Company, McGoldrick Lumber Company, Oregon Lumber Company, Pelican Bay Lumber Company, Southwest Lumber UifG, fnc.

$1000 each-Algoma Lumber Company, Biles-Coleman

Lumber Company, California Door Company, Clover Valley Lumber Company, Ewauna Box Company, Kinzua pine Mills Company, Lamm Lumber Company, Ohio Match Company, Pickering Lumber Corporation, Somers Lumber Company, Inc., Yosemite Sugar Pine Lumber Company. Suspended sentences, with one year's probation, were given the following companies:

Arizona Lumber and Timber Company, Associated Lumber and Box Company, Big Lakes Box Company, Craig Mountain Lumber Company, Deer Park Lumbel Cbmpann, Grande Ronde Pine Company, Hallack and Howard Lumber Company, Ivory Pine Company, Lassen Lumber and Box Company, Medford Lumber Corporation, Michigan-Cal! fornia Lumber Company, Mount Bailey Lumber-Company, Ochoco Lumber Company, Peshastin Lumber and Box Company, Quincy Lumber Company, Rogers Lumber Company, Russell and Pugh Lumber Company, Saginaw and Manistee Lumber Company, Shaw Lumber Company, Southwest Lumber Company, Stoddard Lumber Company, F. H. Stoltze Land and Lumber Company, Western Pine Manufacturing Company, Ltd., White Pine Lumber Company, White Pine Sash Company, Winton Lumber Co.

The anti-trust charges were dismissed against the following 4O companies:

Alexander-Yawkey Lumber Company, Angels Box and Lumber Cornpany, Baird-Naundorf Lumber Company, Bowman-Hicks Lumber Company, Cascade Lumber Company, Chelan Box and Manufacturing Company, Crater Lake Box and Lumber Company, R. R. Crorv & Co., Custer Lumber Company, Feather River Pine Mills, Inc., E. A. Findell Lumber Company, Gilchrist Timber Company, Grants Pass Wood Products Company, C. A. Harris & Son, fnc., Homestake Mining Company, Ingham Lumber Company, George L. Jantzer Lumber Company, Kalispell Lumber Company, Klamath Lumber and Box Company, Klickitat Pine Box Company, Landreth Brothers' Lumber Company, McFarland-Brown Lumber Company, Missoula White Pine Sash Company, Montezuma Lumber Company, Moore Lumber Company, Mount Shasta Pine Manufacturing Company, Nettleton Lumber Company, Oregon Trail Lumber Company, Pilot Rock Lumber Company, Pine Logging Company of California, Pine Products Corporation, Pondosa Pine Lumber Company, Schmitten Lumber Company, Scott Lumber Company, Inc., Swede Basin Lumber Company, Tahoe Sugar Pine Company, Underwood Lumber Company, Warren-Lamb Lumber Company, West Side Lumber Company, Charles A. Wright Lumber Company.

The charges were also dismissed against the following 14 individuals, directors of the defendant Western Pine Association:

John R. Gray, A. M. Aston, J. M. Brown, J. C. Dolan, A. J. Glassow, J. P. Hennessy, Harold G. Laws, J. L. McCarthy, E. N. McDevitt, M. T. McGoldrick, H. D. Mortenson, C. G. Price, J. C. Rassenfoss, Hugo Schmidt.

The defendants were given 30 days in which to pay their fines and the court allowed 60 days to enable the companies to revise their mechanical setups to bring about compliance with terms of the consent decree.