Evening star., 1914-11-28
U. S. Chamber of Commerce
Leaders Seek Sherman Law
Amendment This Session.
EXPORT COOPERATION is
CONCESSION TO BE ASKED
Claim Other Nations Have Com
binations to Sell Goods Abroad
That Must Be Met.

There is a prospect that additional
trust legislation will greatly occupv
the attention of the coming session Of
Congress. Information obtained TODAY
at the Washington Headquarters OF ,hr
Chamber of Commerce of the I-nite5
states is to the effect that the trus,
committee of that organization. which
Is TO begin a series of meetings in Ne,,
York next Tuesday. intends to recon,
mend to Congress the passage Of a..
amendment to the Sherman law deemed
especially advisable as a conseoucn,..
or the war on the other side Of m,
world.
Inc proposed amendment would al
low greater degree of co-operatIor
IN the conduct and for the protectio,r
9, tne foreign trade of the United
states than is now possible under the
sherman law. The suggested lerisla
tion has the support of a large ma
Jority OF the boards of trade chambers
OF commerce and other commercial
and financial organizations affiliated II,
the National Chamber of Commerce in
which there are representatives of the
greatest manufacturing, producing and
exporting corporations and firms ia
the country.
Commerce of the United States. when
the Newlands act. creating the federal
trade commission, which is soon to be
organized. was passed, it contained n
clause instructing the federal trade
commission when il comes into exist
ence to look into combinations in trade
abroad with which American exporters
are obliged to cope.
For Export Cooperation.
Under the Newlands act. the federal
trade commission is instructed to make
recommendations to Congress for a
suitable amendment to the Sherman
act such as will permit American manu-
facturers in export trade only to form
combinations and use common agencies
to such an extent as to put them on q
business level with their foreign com
petitors.
Reports have reached the United
States Of combinations among buyers
abroad, and in regard to German car
tells" A cartel" is not trust, but is
a form of cooperation much practiced
in Germany. to which that country is
said to have owed much of her success
in export trade. Under the system SO
designated, all the steelmen, all the
papermen, and all producers in other
single lines of trade, get together In
one organization to obtain export trade
They agree upon prices at which prod
ucts may be sold to other countries, for
instance, and otherwise combine
Some American manufacturers are
finding difficulty in obtaining South
American trade because Of combine
tions in trade among European ana
other foreign competitors. Some United
States manufacturers do not fnd that
the profits in a single line of South
American. trade are large enough to
warrant the expense of each of then,
sending to South America technical
representative, who Is equipped with "A
knowledge of Spanish, for instance, or.
in the case of Brazil. with a knowledge
of Portuguese. the language used there
and who is of the high class type or
urbane man necessary IN South Ameri-
ca to get real results.
Want Sherman Law Amended.
Some of these manufacturers. pro-
ducers and exporters desire to see the
Sherman act SO amended that II will be-
possible for all the manufacturers and
producers in single lines to join to-
eether and employ one or several sales
men.
In these circumstances, it is expected
that the Chamber of Commerce of the
United States will take action, as
body and through the assistance OF
many well known men in the United
Sherman act to meet their views.
Following the last annual meeting
of the organization, a trust committ"r
was appointed by the organization Z"
look into these very circumstances, ana
they are to decide upon pian of cam
paigp at the series Of meetings TO be
gin IN New York next Tuesday. The
meetings will be held in the rooms OF
the Merchants Association. in the
woolworth building. The committe" ~
composed of some of the leading men
of the United States. and was selected
for the purpose of obtaining the lhrs
est possible representation of differing
points of view. Its members are as fol-
lows:
r. G. Rhett, banker. Charleston. 5. G;
Charles r. Mathewson. attorney at law.
soll-Rand Company. New York city;
Prof Henry r. Seager, Columbia Uni
versity, an economist: Guy l.. Tripp:
chairman OF the executive committee OF
the Westinghouse Company, and u.
Charles R Van Hise, president of the
of Wisconsin. also an eco
nomist.
q. s. Chamber Of Commerce idea
At the Chamber of Commerce Of the
United States headquarters IN the Riggs
building today. II was stated that tho
committee may urge President Wilson
to appoint the members Of the federal
trade commission as soon as possible.
In view Of the many great questions
which are to come before 1t, in it's con-
troll of the 10000 corporations of the
country, and 1t is also said that even
if the committee does not recommend
asking the President to name the COM
mission at once, a discussion OF the
subject will almost certainly take
place.
If the committee nnds that 1t can
frame what It believes to be a suitable
amendment to the Sherman act, 1t may
make no suggestion Of recommends-
ton to the President. and may content
itself with framing a recommendation
to Congress
If the committee comes to conclusions
suitable for action by the board of di-
rectors of the Chamber of Commerce of
the United States, 1t is expected that
the directors will act in time for the
subject to be presented to Congress al
most as soon as 1t reassembles. If their
are more general, 1t is said.
they will be submitted by referendum
vote to the entire membership of the
Chamber of Commerce of the United
States, a process which usually con-
z.