Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1914-06-17
HAWAII and THE ANTITRUST BILLS

DILL question RAISED mere SrNfaI lhonIhS
ago when the series If :'"c bills WAS introduced
Is answered by TIL report ct a recent d"hat" IN
the House of Representatives.
On May 26 a lively debate took place in the
house. during which the Democrats stanchIy
defended the antitrust bills and made several
explanations of doubtful points. The, debate
shOws that the principal antitrust measure has
been changed since the Legislation was first IL
Produced. The amendment now before the house
begins i'm this way: .... ...s.a ....
Be it enacted etc, That antitrust laws
used herein, includes the act entitled AN act to
troteet trade aud commerce against unlawful
straints and monopoes,' approved July 2, 1890;
sections to II inclusive OF an act entitled An
act to reduce taxation, TO provide revenue for the
Government. and for other purposes" OF August 81
1894; an act entitled AN act to amend sections .7S
and 76 OF the act OF August 81 1894, entitled An
act to reduce taxation toaproyide revenue for the
Government and for ether purposes" approved i
February II 1913; and also this act 80
Commerce." used herein. means trade or
commerce ameng the several States and with for.
eign nations. or between the District of Columbia
or any Territory OF the United States and any
State, Territory, foreign nation, or between any
tnsular possessions other places under the jurs
dict.cn Of the United States. between any such
possession Tor place and any State or Territory OF
the United States the District of Columbia or
any foreign ration, within the District of Co
lunnbis any Territory any insuar possession
other pacs under the jurisdiction OF the United
States.
in this act shall be deemed include corporations
and associations existing under or authorized by
the laws Of either the United States, the laws Of
OF the Territories, the laws OF any State or the
laws Of any foreign country
The words printed above in hlack9type shows
that under the amended bill Hawaii, as a ter
ritory, is distinctly in,1Hde in 4ie scUpeAof the
measure and that business within the territory
will he subjected to the scrutiny Of the federal
officials to determine whether orsnot trusts are
existent here,
The discussion of the INTERVIEWING directorate
bin brought out some points of direct import.
:,nce to large businesses iii Hawaii. For one
thing, the mere fact that a man is a director IN
many large corporations simultaneously will
hp no proof Of law violation Interlocking di-
rectorates are only illegal when the. affected
Corporations by combination violate the law.
Representative Charles G. carln of Virginia,
enc Of the leaders of the judiciary committee,
gave the following explanation of this point
s.As ta interlodsng dirprtorates Il have
pointed ont one evil that comes from them.
That is not all. The director sits on the great
railroad corporation directorate and buys sup
plies from himself. He is fiduciary, for that
IS all director is. He sits on the one board
and buys supplies for himself from the other
Evaporation upon whose board he sits, until we
find him buying and selling to himself, and We
are big enough not To object to that, if it were
not for the fact that he is doing it with other
peoples money, and so we put a provision cover
ING that into the bill We divided this inter
locking directorate bill into three subdivisions,
first. the railroads and the common carriers,
over which Congress has sundisputed juris'lc-
ton; seeGmd, national banks, over which We
have undispntpd Jurisdiction; and, third, indus
trial corporations and. combinations We have
exempted the little fellow, the mutual savings
bank. and wegliave gone to the limit Of two and
a half million dollars in other hanks. When Il
l,ank opts to be the size Of two and half million
dollars it is pretty we'll grown, and when You
cpf Them into n combination the opportunity
for evil is very great,
Mr.. GRAHAM of Pennsylvania, "The gentle
man does not mean that the two million AMI Il
half exemption has any application to the indus
trial corporations"
Mr. CARLlN. "Oh, no; we apply an entirely
different rule to the industrial corporations. y
,nan can he 4 director in us many industrial cor
4,oIatiops as he pieases under our DILL unless
Loco co,noTatioIis would of themselves c"nStl-
fute by combination a violation OF III" sherman
law" .~.--. n,,,
THE general purpose of the legislation is thus
stated: -.,1,,,, ,,e ,ho
eve have supplemented the language OF the
sss,, lawl statute and taken forward
ssr,, we have gone forward, not hackWar"'
: -, I1mlflHI