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2 PATRONS OF INDEPENDENT FISHERMEN ARE BLACKLISTED BY TRUST PALADINI DENIES TRUST FISH A POOR BUSINESS Achille Paladini said yesterday, that. 4he trust has no existence in fact, but only* in the imagination of jealous rivals. Although his property holdings are estimated at $1,000,000, Paladini was behind the counter in his market when interviewed, per forming harakiri on a stack of sandabs. / "The trust is all crazy talk," he said. "/ make only small money. I sell fish for 3or 4 cents. The relailer t he makes' all the money. I sell the fish cheap. y "/ am a very busy man and have to pork hard. - I make only expenses. Sometimes fish is scarce, it sells high. When lots of fish it sells cheap. It is hard to make money with fish. I have to work myself In pr6of of cheap prices he pointed to some sole and rockcod, which he said were going at the unusual price of 5 cents a pound. As news of a new and independent fishing company, headed by Joseph ' Catania, has been agitating the fish circles, Paladini was asked what he thought of the enterprise. '7 dont know about an independent company"^ said Paladini. "You think I make a million, well, let them make a million. Catania? Oh. he has too much mouth. He talks in his hat. It is all crazy talk, this trust business. Fish is a very poor business." triet attorney, "to warrant me in laying it before the grand jury — sufficient, I think, for the folding of indict ments and for conviction. I shall proceed at once and it is my intention to conduct the inquiry personally. The testimony at hand shows an outrageous condition of affairs. I think we shall be able to break up this manifestly unlaw ful combination and to that end I shall direct all my The district attorney did not wait a needless minute after he was satisfied with the evidence gathered for him by The Call's investigators. Last night the presentation of this evidence began before the grand jury. District Attorney Fickert himself questioned the witnesses. With him in the grand jury room was his assistant, Aylett Cot ton. When it comes to the trial of. the cases against the fish trust's responsible heads, Attorney Sales will prob ably sit at the prosecution table as the special assistant FIRST WITNESSES CALLED The witnesses called by Foreman Goldman last night to open the inquiry were Captain Anders C. Johnson, Charles Whitlock, Frank P.- Martin, Jack McHendry, Giovanni Tofanelli and Joseph Catania. Their testimony outlines the case, which will be completed at further ses sions of the jury. District Attorney Fickert, who intends to go slow T ly and thoroughly, was present in the jury room with Assist ant District Attorney Aylett Cotton. Among the first of the new witnesses found by The Call is Captain Johnson, who has commanded trawling tugs for more than six years for both the Western "and Paladini companies. While the independent company was making its fight for life last year he had charge of the tug Liberty. But after the independent went under he returned to the Western. Whitlock was -engineer on the Paladini tug Henri etta from November, 1908, until last February. DEEP SEA CATCH LIMITED The testimony of these men goes to show that the Paladini and Western companies conspired deliberately to limit the deep sea catch they monopolized, which con sisted mainly of soles and sand dabs. Conspiracy was evi dent in the limiting of the catch by the fish boss, under orders from the owners, who threw the excess over board. It was further shown in the arrangement made \u25a0 i ;—:; — : \u25a0 — ' : -•• (£ii&s.%ti\u$ & Co. |&igh-<Srate Clothiers NO BRANCH STORES. NO AGENTS. MEN'S CLOTHES ONLY Our increasing business is due to recognized merit. PRICE TWENTY UP 3fettteter& puttomg poat^treet near^earjag ELKS TO DEDICATE NEW EUREKA HALL Many Members of Herd to Go From San Francisco in a Special Steamer [Special Dispatch to The Call] EUREKA. May 12.— The new Elks hall in this city, representing a total outlay of more than $80,000, will be dedicated with appropriate exercises and a banquet Friday evening, May, 27, Judge Henry A. Melvin. associate jus tice of the state supreme court, will be the orator and Judge Fletcher A. Cut ler of San Francisco, law partner -of Governor Gillett, formerly of this city, will also deliver an oration. According to Secretary Charles P. Cutten, 200 or 300 members of the ant lered herd are coming, from San Fran cisco and the bay cities to participate in the festivities. The Alameda lodge of Elks is taking" the lead in getting together a goodly number to come to this city for the big /house warming." Cutten said that arrangements had been made with the Pacific ... Coast steamship company- for a steamer to leave San /Francisco May 26 for the accommodation of the visiting Elks. There is no steamer scheduled to leave for this port on ; that day, but the City of Topeka will be held over to run especially for ; the Elks, and if enough reservations are \u25a0 made the State of California or some other vessel will make the special round trip for the Elks. Many Elks from the : central part of the state are coming to Eureka for the dedication by auto. A large num ber of lodgemen will visit this city in their own machines. \u0084 - The Elks i special steamer will leave this city on the return, trip to >. San Francisco May 29, a" round trip ' far* of $15 having been granted by the steamship company. " The visiting Elks will be royally entertained. -•" SEAL ESTATE i MAN KHXB HIMSEIJ-^Seat tle. May. 12. — Frank M. Muckolls, a real fstate spent,- aged tH-'jrear*; shot and killed himself last nip-ht; Muckolls bad been 111 and became despondent. \u25a0'. ; M nckollß'.' wlf e :. vras ; in An v ad \u25a0 S'Aniss -room. > The family; came from Cliloasrn two , years ago " and . ( otuktJj ; lived "iv islieUjy- Till«.<lad. " - .: THE JSAN FRANGISCO CALL, ERIDA¥, MAY 13, 1910; District Attorney Charles MljFic^ert (left). Attorney Dudley^D. Sales and \ Attorney General (A S.^ Webb in consultation -on the l problems > presented by the case of the fish trust. " • // - FISH PRICES CLOSE TO HIGHEST CHARGE FOR CHOICE CUTS OF MEAT The retail price of fish, through the machinations of the trust, has been held close to that of the. meats. This relation is neither natural nor just; for fish and meat are governed by entirely different economic conditions. Livestock requires food, shelter, care and expensive transportation, yet, even at that,' the wholesale butchers make an enormous profit. The most favorable retail fish prices for the pound during the last three 'months have been as follows:. Striped bass . . .'. . . ............... 18 cents Barracuda . .... . . .... . . . \u25a0 . . . . . . ..:... 15 cents .Salmon . 17 " Rock cod .......-.......: ....'. 14 " Soles -.12^ " Halibut :....;. ...Y;: .... — ..... .: ..15 Sand dabs-..:...... 15 " Shad roe .....:. ....':.. ......... .17^ " Smelt 15 -V"-'; Shad 10 " These "were .'the prevailing prices when each variety named chanced to be plentiful. During the latter half of April smelts and striped bass werc^nevcr sold at less than 20 cents a pound in the Western fish company's retail booth in the California market. « . Across the aisle from the Western's booth in the market is the meat department of A. Decourtieux- & Co. The retail prices of meal, unlike fish, have been stfpdard during the t three months pasL According to.Decour tieux, they are by the pound: < \u0084'\u25a0 \u25a0 ; t - ' -„ - V Porterhouse* .' - 20. cents Rib roast .;.. ..'.'.: ................... :10 cents Tenderloin .................... .......18— 15 .." Spring lamb roast .............:;....' 18. " Sirloin ................. .. .. . ....... ..15—12^ " Lamb fore quarter . ........ . .'. ..... .. 15 " Round ........'...."...............'. ../; V - \2 l / 2 "\u25a0 Loin mutton chops .;....... ....J ... ..15-— l2^ • " Lamb chops .:.................. .....20 — 15 'V Round of beef . ....................... 8 " Pork ch0p5....................... 20 *' Chucks of beef ....................... 6~~ " Ribroast (choice) .......:........... 18 " '. ; . . . The most expensive ;cut of steak is the middle porterhouse, at the fancy price / of 25 xents. \u25a0 between the two companies after the failure of the independentcom •'' -pany last July. By this" pact the tugs of each company fished on • alternate days-and divided the catcli with each other, keeping ex penses down and the. price of fish up.- These witnesses clinch what the senate committee only sus pected. Martin was employed by the Carley drayage company from the April of 1908 to the same month of 1909, while that firm had. the contract of hauling fresh fish from the trust markets, principally the Western and Paladini, to the X. L. O. grease company's plant in the southern part of the city. It was at the X. L.O.s plant that the process of making glue fro mfresh fish was perfected., For a few dollars, the X. L. 0., asa side concern of the Western, daily bought tons of fresh fish which could not be sold to the public with out a reduction of price. The 'families of the drivers ate fish until they tired of it. ;. The superintendent of the works arid employes made a practice of taking fish home and of giving it to friends. TWELVE TONS A DAY FOR GLUE V All that Martin saw also came into the experience of Jack Me . Hendry, also a teamster. McHendry has hauled as much as 12 tons of fish a day to the X. L. O. It was good enough for Superintendent Bom to take home for his own table. McHendry supplied his own family with fish until they objected. He found it as good as could be found in the markets. - -Most of it, came from Paladini's and the Western's places. \u25a0Tofanelli, a retailer at Bush, and Sixteenth- streets, was the ' , strongest witness to appear/against., the trust during the session of the senate committee, for he saw his own name on the official black- . list: prepared; by Paladini and -Manager Prapani of the Western trust at the time the trust was. boycotting the Portola company last winter. -His story of the affair before the committee was as follows : ,- ON THE BLACKLIST "I bought fish from the Portola' company three or four times. One morning I stopped in front of Paladini's and. went in. Paladini called to me and said, 'Look here, you are on the blacklist.' . , .."1. -said, 'How is tliat? I : always';pay my bills every week.' .: "Paladini said it was not for that, and he. called me in the. office and showed me the list, with half a dozen different names, my - r. brother and myself. -\ Paladini said I did- wrong to buy of the Por ' -tola.".** ~\ -"• * \u25a0- •\•- , - ' 'Tofanelli' was then made to understand that if he gave up the Portola, which handled salmon mainly, he, might be able to get soles and sand dabs ''as! usual: -Paiadini implied that the blacklisting was . done at the order of the Western. -•\u25a0.":•. ":• \u25a0 Tofanelli explained his- position to .the Portola people. But a few dayslater they : came to him with-the. story, that .differences had been patched up' with the trust. So Tofanelli was tempted to buy salmon *> there againJ". : " .j" TROUBLE IS THREATENED , \u25a0\u25a0;\u25a0\u25a0•/-\u25a0 OoUiis next visit to, Merchant' street,;-the retailer was called in by Paladini, -who said "there; wouldbe trouble if He went to, the Portola: any, more: So .thereafter lie bought .of j Paladini. \y~: _Josephv Catania^ haslan intimate knowledge -of; the- workings Voiv^ the trusty with; 40 years ~oi experience' in; trie - fish \u25a0 :'T% firm now carries the :names, of the sons ? asiCatania\Bros.;'but; its > found * is still active : in the -business and will assum e the management* of^ the newTtrawling company/which /will break the trust's monopoly of . soles" and sand dabs next ;may'be;cbrrob6rated < ;byi:his/sbns, Clifton' and Gerald;- 7 ; Last vl^adihi: gave -(Catania permission to rent part \u25a0 of -his; store, 'tql they CdinP ordered; hirh ; to « put^utUheV Portola 'people^oni the pehaltyrof being deprived of soles andsand.dabs if he refused. .Catania did not V obey.fa^idifound^this/supply^ ; pani, 1 manager, of the ; Western, -on -the; advice; of \u25a0Paladini. . - , ;\u25a0>-\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0 \u25a0;\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0\u25a0, \u25a0\u25a0 \u25a0" ::> v. ',_; : "\u25a0 \u25a0 '\u25a0/\u25a0;.'... ;.•.\u25a0.",\u25a0'".. \u25a0 ' \u25a0\u25a0\u25a0.\u25a0"\u25a0\u25a0 : ' . ""\u25a0 : . ' ' "ALL TALK," SAYS TRAPANI TRUST MAN ONLY LAUGHS Manager Trapani of the Western company shares Paladini's igno rance as (o the existence of the trust and the new anti-trust company. \u25a0: .Trapani is about '3o years old,, typically Italian in appearance, but thoroughly American in. his manner. He: is handsome and dresses well. >As he was brought up in the fish business, he knows it from every angle and obtained his appointment on merit. ||§|| While, Trapani is given credit for. being the shrewdest man m the trust he laughs at the idea of its existence. "This is all talk," he said. "/"^ Mk- There is not much to be made in. the fish business. The Catanias are trying to get into pur trade. That's all there is to it." In the presence of Catania and. his son, Clifton, Trapani said he would drive business away from the Catanias also unless they put the Portola people out of their place. Trapani offered on this occa sion to make good the rent lost through the breaking of their lea>e with the portola. - TIRED OF THE COMBAT . The Portola people were by this time sick and tired of the inef fective struggle against the. trust and volunteered to leave, but when Catania' asked for the rent lost on 'this account, Trapani went^ back on his word and refused to pay a cent. f^k Among other things, Catania is able to tell of the successful-^ fight made last year by the trust against the Independent nsii trawling company, of which ,he was a promoter. The trust at the present time has placed a ban on the .Latama firm, which has to get its supply of soles and sand dabs from peddlers or friends. independent fish men are: ruined by monopoly In the days before the fire the fish peddler with pushcart and tin horn was- a familiar figure in all parts of San Francisco, and especially so in the district south of Market street. Fish was then cheaper than the poorest grades of meat. It was still in the reach of the poor man directly after the fire, when the retail business was done largely by peddlers. But as condi tions became more settled the temptation to gouge became general among the men handling necessities. Out of this temptation came the fash trust. PALADINI THE BULLDOZER . Achille Paladini can scarcely be called the brains of the movement to monopolize the fish business/but he has not tailed on the side of zeal His personality colors the trust's dealings He has been the hrst « bttlldoi ng independent dealers. He has ground the public for every cent that is mi t iind sent tons of food to the reduction works rather than see the price come within the means of the poor. vjr . . „ . Paladini is a millionaire. But he is not a proud millionaire. He i* at his market in Merchant street between Montgomery and Sansome long be fore dawn and does not leave till sundown. He owns valuable North beach property, stables, >steam tugs, brick buildings and his own ice works, yet he may be seen in his market at any time of the day, cleaning boxes out in front, or behind the counter pulling the entrails from fish just as he did 40 HE CAN SIGN A CHECK Paladini's scholarship does not go very far. If given time he can add up a bill, and he can sign his name to a check. But there is no detail ot his busi ness over which he hasn't. an eye. . Paladini owns steam trawling boats. So does his greatest rival, the Western fish company. The markets of the two companies adjoin, and their trawling boats lie up against the same pier at the foot of Filbert street. It , was only natural, under the circumstances, that the elderly but energetic . pioneer in the business should strike a working agreement with the younger^ Antone Trapani, manager of the Western. . \ The first clash between the trust and the independents came in June, I 1907 when Catania Brothers brought a suit in the superior court to enjoin ' the Western New San Francisco and California fish companies trom shut ting the Catania firm out of the fishermen's wharf market. This conspiracy was worked through Nicholas Storlesi, who accepts money from the trust while pretending to represent only the fishermen. Storlesi refused to sell fish to the Catanias. But after the suit was brought he would allow them to get a few boxes. On account of its expense and the fact that the Catanias do their buying from outside points the case was allowed to lapse. REAL FIGHT IS PLANNED But an attack on old man like Storlesi was not the way to get at the greedy wholesalers. In November of 1908 a real tight was quietly planned by means of an independent company. The partners' in the independent fish trawling company, which was to make them independent of the Western's and Paladini's supply of deep sea \u0084<h were Joseph Catania, J. B. Inguglia, Frank Bellantt. Mando Biagim and George Alioto. They represented Catania Brothers, the California, Inter national, American fish and oyster and Biagini & Co. With the news of the expected competition, Paladini and Trapani came to a definite agreement, and out of this agreement came the trust, as it is in operation today. The trust immediately refused to sell sand dabs and soles, of which it had the monopoly, to its coming competitors. DISASTER FROM BEGINNING The. experience of the n^sv company was disastrous from the start. Bad weather held back its operations until February of last year. The tugs suf fered continuous breakdowns. Then Paladini and . Trapani tried their best to undermine its business through the intimidation of customers and the - cutting of prices. . ; ; -' - v i •-\u25a0"-% The method of underselling used by the trust was such as to cause the least general reduction in the retail prices. Dealers in Oakland, Alameda, San Mateo and other points paid the trust the same prices as before the fight. Fish was thrown by the trust suddenly on the locaf market and sent to the glue works as soon as, it had sent prices tumbling. This competition was felt strongest at the wharf. Several months before the independent company went to smash, which was on July 31 last, the Catanias drew out because they were not getting their pro rata of the catch. . . _ , . . . . . . -Price cutting became the hottest in July, just before the independents Soles at this time retailed in the local retail markets as low as four pounds for 25 cents, and sand dabs at three pounds for the same price. The peddlers found an opportunity during this short period, and San Francisco began to eat fish again. Soles at this time sold generally at the wholesale places for about 50 cents for an 80 pound box. At times it went as low as 25 cents a box. The list of retailers paying these prices has been turned over to District Attorney Sudden T jumpof prices •These men will also testify that as soon as the independents failed the price of these fish jumped to the neighborhood of $4 a box. With the downfall of the independents the trust was put on a strictly business basis, violating the Cartwright law in letter and spirit. .The smaller firms were then forced in so that the roll showed Paladini, the Western, the New. San Francisco, the California, the International, the. American and Biagini & Co: Of these the New San Francisco and California had formerly been, in the combination. The California broke away to join the irtdepend- • ents. The International, American and Biagini, identified with the independ ents, had. found it useless to fight the Western and Paladini and thus^arne into the 'fold. x .Emilio Borzone is head of the New San Francisco, Santo Cereghino of 132 IMPRISONED IN COAL MINE MANCHESTER, Eng., May I2.v^-An« explosion: in the "Wellington coalijmlne at .iWhltehaven last night cut off -the exit from the 136 : miners. ;. Rescue parties succeeded today in saving four men. but were prevented by.'gas v from; reaching the point where most' of the men are imprisoned. Every indication ' was that the"" inner -work ings 'of '-the mine .were onflre, and dis tracted f crowds, of relatives surrounded the: pit"; head.); • •' "The colliery is owned by the earl of Lonsdale andjts workings extend four brJ five* miles beneath .the sea. PICNIC TO BE HELD— Oakland. '. May 12.—Oak land Alliance of St." Patrick alliance of Ameri-' 'ca will bold its annual picnic Sunday, May 15, at East Sbore park. .Music and games win be \u25a0-' given- ' ' Always Does Good . Thousands Take It in the Spring **I have taken Hood's Sarsaparilla when needed for a number of years." writes James Hey, 3070 Amber St. E. Philadelphia. Pa., "and have always found that it does me good. I. always take it in the spring with the best re- sults. I have that tired feeling in the morning and can not eat. but after tak- ing. two. or three bottles of this medi- cine always feel like a different person ajid advise every one needing a tonic to give It a fair triaL" Remember there is ho realsubstltuteV for Hood's Sarsapafilla. If urged txJ' buy any preparation said to be "just as good- you may b« sure it is inferior, costs less to make, and yields the deal- er a larger profit; Get; Hobd'a \u25a0 Sarsaparilla today. In liquid form or.: tablets ''called Sarsata»s. ./-' r : a