R v Associated Northern Collieries
R v Associated Northern Collieries[1] (the Coal-Vend Case) is a decision of the High Court of Australia concerning the activities of the Coal-Vend cartel. The convictions entered by Isaacs J in this decision were later set aside by the Full Court (Griffith CJ, Barton and O'Connor JJ) in Adelaide Steamship Co Ltd v The King.[2]
| R v Associated Northern Collieries | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Court | High Court of Australia |
| Full case name | The King and the Attorney-General of the Commonwealth v The Associated Northern Collieries and others |
| Decided | 22 December 1911 |
| Citation(s) | [1911] HCA 73, (1911) 14 CLR 387 |
| Case history | |
| Prior action(s) | Huddart, Parker & Co Pty Ltd v Moorehead (1909) 8 CLR 330 |
| Subsequent action(s) | Melbourne Steamship Co Ltd v Moorehead (1912) 15 CLR 333 |
| Case opinions | |
| I convict the defendants, and each and every of them, of the several offences severally found against them respectively as above stated.[1]:660 | |
| Court membership | |
| Judge(s) sitting | Isaacs J |
Overruled by | |
| Adelaide Steamship Co Ltd v The King [1912] HCA 58, (1912) 15 CLR 65 | |
Decision
Following a trial in the original jurisdiction of the High Court, Isaacs J convicted each of the 40 defendants (16 individuals, 22 corporations and 2 commercial trusts)[1]:396 of cartel offences against the Australian Industries Preservation Act,[3] a (now repealed) antitrust law based on the United States' Sherman Act.
Political context
The trial was eagerly followed in the news media. Newspapers such as the Sydney Morning Herald regularly reported on the daily course of the trial.[4]
See also
- Huddart, Parker & Co Pty Ltd v Moorehead (1909) 8 CLR 330
- Melbourne Steamship Co Ltd v Moorehead (1912) 15 CLR 333
References
- R v Associated Northern Collieries [1911] HCA 73, (1911) 14 CLR 387.
- Adelaide Steamship Co Ltd v The King [1912] HCA 58, (1912) 15 CLR 65.
- Australian Industries Preservation Act 1906 (Cth).
- "Coal vend case: an official threat to purchase against vend: the Newcastle conversation". Sydney Morning Herald. Trove. 6 May 1911. Retrieved 10 July 2018.