Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1914-05-01
BILL RCFEnnc1
TO TRADE BODIES
Ask 543 Commercial Organize
tiOnS For Views On Measure.
.RECOMMEN DATIOhS MADE

Initiated By Chamber Of Commerce Of
United States on Report Of Special
Committee - Voting to Be For or
Against Seven Recorme n cations.
Result to Be Made Public.
Washington. - A referendum rela-
tive to the proposed interstate trade
commission bill recently reported into
the house Of representatives by the
committee on interstate and foreign
commerce was initiated by the cham
Der of commerce Of the United States
Of America. 1t goes to the 543 COM
mercial organizations in fOrty-seven
states. and the votes Of these organiza-
tons. when recorded. will be made
public.
The referendum Is based on the re.
port Of special committee composed
Of two business men. The committee
presents Its recommendations in such
form that the membership Of each Or
ganiZatiOn is enabled to express its
opinions by voting for or against the
various proposals.
The seven definite recommendation
to be supported or rejected are:
That there be created an interstate trade
commission of at least five members. ap-
pointed by the president and confirmed
by the senate, not more than a mere ma
jority of whom shall be of the same po-
litical party,
That Jurisdiction Of the commission in
conducting investigation extend to all cor
porations engaged in interstate or foreign
commerce except such as are amenable to
the interstate commerce commission. Ut
has not been 1udicially determined wheth-
er or not banks are engaged in interstate
commerce. but 1t is not understood to be
tho purpose Of the bill creating an inter-
state trade commission to include banks
among the corporations placed within the
Jurisdiction Of the commission.)
That the commission should not now be
given authority to advise applicants con-
corning the legality Of proposed contracts
combinations. etc., under the Sherman act
That the annual reports Of corporations
II required. should at the outset be con-
Aned to those of the larger corporations
(say. to those having capital resources Of
81, 100000 or more or to those having an
other classes of corporations as the COM
mission may officially determine
That in the annual reports made to the
commission corporations ought not to be
required to disclose trade processes, shop
costs. classification Of sales and profits
among particular articles, names of GUS
toners or other like private Information.
That the publication of facts obtained
by the commission be confined to such as
are to the public interest.
That congress should direct the COM
mission to investigate and report to con-
gress at the earliest practicable date on
the advisability of amending the Sherman
act to allow greater degree Of co-opera-
ton in the conduct and for the protection
OF the foreign trade.
In suggesting that the membership
Of the commission should be composed
Of five members rather than three as
proposed in the present house bill. the
committee argues that since large
proportion Of interstate business of i'm
portance is now transacted by corpo-
ratiOns the duties of the commission
will be so important that So small a
membership as three is inadequate.
The committee also concludes that a
commission may earn greater degree
Of popular confidence for nonpartisan
ship and impartiality than depart
mental official can hope to attain. The
committee also Is convinced that the
larger commission would provide for
different points of view and oppOrtu-
nifty for the inclusion Of business ex-
perience.
The committee believes that there
should be no discrimination as to the
kinds of corporations with which the
commission deals, since such limita-
ton might develop suspicion Of ia
voritism. 1t says. Neither size nor
any other arbitrary standard of classi-
fication is Il sure criterion Of lawful
ness or unlawfulness under the anti
trust acts or under any other laws"
The committee is convinced that the
general jurisdiction of the commission
shon!d lot extend to persons aud part
nerships. giving this reason:
"As. matter of business Judgment.
individuals and partnerships as such
will not engage in interstate or for
eign trade on n scale sufficiently large
as to have the potentiality Of etfecting
a restraint of trade or creating II mo
nopoly Before their business assumes
a character or a volume that creates
of illeGality under the anti
trust acts they are under practical
necessity Of adopting the corporate
form with itS imitpd liability and OF b.
err advantages"