Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-12-18
OELVES DEEP INTO
TRUST gu EST|ON
Secretary Redfield Would Pre-
sumo All Restraints of Trade
Are Unreasonable.

plans for an extensive investigation into
the economic features Of the trust prob
lem. Secretary Redhcd of the depart
ment of commerce in his first annual re-
port recommends legislation t. presume
,hat all restraints of trade are unreason-
able and to place the burden Of establish
Ing the reasonablcness of the restraint
upon the person alleging it; to prohlmt
interocking directories; to prohibit
watering of stocks. and to prohlplt cor
purauons and persons from owning
stocks in or controlling competing COM
panies.
Second only IN interest 70 MI Heu-
fields views ON the trust question are
us P,"'ln i"' Uo, ''9''',7 ,'.,',,,,..ao
,t,,, - ,i,,, ,,,,roo,, ~ rorcicn and domestic
,,,,,,,,rc,
.rho trust u,cstion. and tho work laid
,yt r,,. tho buroou of cornorations. which
win ro,pn from an Investigation of
,,botbcr Trusts arc efficient TO a study
Of the economic laws governing the
living Of retail prices. bears an important
re1otion to President Wilson'S legislative
program pSccretary Rcdneld discusses it
rNbaustivelv and substantially outlines
his views as follows:
"There is growing question in the
minds of experienced and thoughtful
mon as to whether the trust form of
organization is industrially efficient and
whether birncss and bulk are always
necessary to production at the lowest
rost II may he conceded that lnasslng
If caDital and the grouping of great
,uantitics Of labor have certain clements
If efficiency But if is doubtful. at best,
whether these favorable elements are
eu tho ractors that exist and whether
there does not come a point of maximum
cfri,iorc, at minimum cost bevond which
nm Increase of nroduc+ means an in.
.reoso of cost ne,, unit Of that nrodll-t
e,,1r co>,n,>,,,c ~, ,v1,tt
III Is siGhncaht that some OF 'le
great trusts nave 'o"So" To 'NISI ina .
others pay nut moderate uNi"'nus' II
any on llelr SECURITIES ana 'Hdl sue
Wy sue VIII" the iH"St H'IN"N an" sup
PoSeu'E tHc most 'III'Ieht Oh tn''h nav
grown up HdeP'iloehl ORGANIZATIONS V"''e
rs successful ana perhaps earning eve"
more upon thelr capltal IMAM ther pow
'IluI 'oiilPeutoIS'
lhcre Is no crI1lcI9h mere ol 'II
business as such out merely the queS-
tioh as 10 whether Dig business mas not
-''al nm 'I'''
rather less desirable than efficiency
"Tbo nurnose of tha hurca,, Of cornora-
,ions is to study patiantlv that we may
know wbather these buU,v things that
we have so much feared are in an ocono-
mic sense real giants in strength or
whether they are but images with feet
of CLAY There can be M obiection on
Tho MARI OF anyone. whatever his views
of industry. toward a study which shall
determine the truth. which truth. If p
be indeed the truth must itself deter
mine in the final ANALYSIS the course
which the LEGISLATURE and the executive
may wisely take concerning these mat
ters
1T is important that We should know
the truth about the fixing of retail prices
md as to whether giving the privilege
Of so fixing the prices TO a manufacturer
tends toward MONOPOLY or does not so
tend Men who are sincere and we'll in
formed DO not think alike on this nroh
lem. but whatever their views If will
Ne agreed that no thorough studv has
ever been made of the srbiect in this
country. Nations abroad are said to
favor by law TINT which we forbid
Or-r,crro>- .po1-r nnr,,,,
"a" VIZ" "s - ioi ''e t'iile HAeu
~ '"o Neo'S'oH' VI '"' supreme court
''"l ',.e "Ni"s VI ieIal' prices OH the
F''' VI i'''''' az Us - una" VIII ~
'''''' ie" ''5's'"'4o" S'ou" III the
'u'u'' ne Iequ'leo' II Is important that
,'o ""'" Oe Nio"h lest h'"stice be
d 10 the consumer
"'i"c A'H wen ihIoi1lleu' argue that
''' "NiHS u retail PRICES uilue' coilul-
LUIS "'''o competition III manufacture
'NlStS 'ei'uS 10 promote competitions
''herS say mat the refusal TO permit
the IAlhB OF retail prices tends to
llohopoiS because IN the cut-throat com
peutloh certain 10 follow obviously the
stronger competitor Will survive and
may eventually nave the business in his
o"" "d""'' LOT tle Id" lorpius the max
"7 Va as ~ maintain P'lceS'
an" ""''r '"eSe circumstances 'he weak
80 must ~ u ''l' wall "uch peiiis the
'''"' 'NI' ''S'" ny r'o"F"''uI men on
"''''''I III WIG" every consumer Is
'"'' i'S''u "c''"se ne must heeuS puF
81, " '''.0'oo' II - I''loi tah' Vhdt tne
e"oJ'vt S"oulu receive '"ousHlIul STUDY
hnu tH'S the bureau Oh corporations pur-
poses 10 give 10 IT,
i"'' Uh'Io "'e immaculate ana we'll
N"'Nn o"'u' 'l""S th"t SHouiu ana can ne