Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1911-06-08
CANADIANS
HAVE AWAKENED
To a Remedy Unscroupulous
Owners of Patented
Monopolies
WILL REVOKE PATENTS
United Shoe Machinery Com
pany Of Boston is Party
Aimed at
WILL REVOKE PATENTS

The Payne-Aldrich tariff act re-
moved the duty on hides and lowered
that OH boots and shoes. Perhaps you
expected the price of boots and shoes
to fall. But it didn't. Why not? One
very good reason is that the boot and
shoe manufacturers of the country are
not free agents, but are held firm in
the grasp of powerful and rapacious
corporation, the United Shoe Machin-
cry company of Boston, which through
its possession of the patents for GER
tain machines required in the present
day processes of shoe raking, con
trolls the entire trade 1t refuses to sell
these machines, but instead leases
them for long terms under contrr.cts
by which the manufacturers are forced
to buy all or practically all Of tEeir
other machinery and large part OF
Its own prices, in some case, ~ or
so per cent above those of similar
supplies in the open market
In Canada the company operates UNI
der the name of the United Shoe Ma
chinery company of Canada, and the
Canadian boot and shoe manufacturers
are as absolutely tied down to it
through the control of patents and its
Onerous contracts as are those of the
United States. But the Canadians take
less kindly to domination of this kiad
than we do. Last year they passed a
law intended to reach just such cases.
1t provides that any six or more pie
sons who believe that combine evisls
by means Of which prices are increased
or competition restricted, to the detr-
ment of consumers or producers, may
make application to judge for an or
der directing investigation into the al
legged combine.
When the existence of such COM
bine is proved to the satisfaction of
the governor in council, he may, at
his discretion, if it appears that the
disadvantage under which the ccnsum-
er suffers is facilitated by the Gus
toms duties, either admit the ar,lcie
concerned duty free or reduce toe
duty to an amount which will ave the
public the benefit of reasonable com
petition. Or if it appears that the own
er or holder of any patent has made
use of his exclusive rights or privi.
leges to restrain trade in any a ticle
or to limit the production or increase
its price, the patent may be revoked.
The first application for an investi-
cation under this act has come from
certain Canadian boot and shoe manu-
facturers who charge the United ZOE
Machinery company of Canada with
increasing the cost of boots and shoes
by placing the manufacturers at their
mercy as regards the price of lnachin.
cry and supplies, thus injuring both
producer and consumer; with restrict
ing competition in boot and shoe ma.
chinery, thus checking invention and
Improvement; and with using it's ex-
elusive rights and privileges a hold.
ers of certain patents to restrain and
injure trade and commerce.
The order for the appointment of
board of investigation has been issued
and decision may be expected soon.
If it results in freeing Canada from
this trade tyranny, it is perhaps not
too much to hope that profiting by
this example the United States n:ay
also find means for shaking itself
free.-La Follette's Magazine.