Hauliers Claim X8om. from U.S. Railways
Page 40
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
AN .£80m. claim for damages has been lodged by Pennsylvania hauliers against the American railways. The Eastern Railroad Conference has been charged with violating the civil and criminal sections of the Sherman Anti-Trust Law in a conspiracy to secure a monopoly of transport and to eliminate the lorry as a competitor.
The Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association has put in a detailed complaint to the Federal District Court of the U.S. The railways have largely worked, it is alleged, through a firm of publicity agents, Carl Byoir and Associates. Inc., who were given carte blanche to carry out a "vicious, corrupt and fraudulent campaign " against the haulage industry. This was designed to impede its operations in every way and ultimately to deprive it of all freight business. Among the complaints, details are given of bribery of public officials and of officers of independent organizations; of the formation of " indepen• dent" citizens' organizations to circulate false and malicious propaganda attack. ing the hauliers, without disclosing the participation of the railways, and ol the vilification of hauliers by the circulation of untrue reports about their businesses.