The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-03

1eit that the situation was so serious as to make it expedient for him to go to France. Upon his arrival he learned that den the export of this com modity simply for the reason that there was apprehension that there might be scarcity of glass and gelatin, which form the basis of the auto-chrom plates. They also form the basis of the kind Of plates used in taking X-ray photo- graphs, and the French government be- lieves that it IS vital that there be an ample supply of X-ray apparatus, since In the hospitals it has proved to be of in valuable service. The incident illustrates the infinity of detail and the far-reach- ing care which the French government is taking at this time for the purpose of conserving all of it's resources. By special favor the government did permit small consignment of these plates to be ex- ported to the United States.
 Government and Harvester Co. Suit
 The brief submitted by Attorney Gen eral Gregory to the supreme court in the Harvester company case Is looked upon by some who have followed the case from the beginning as setting forth by ar gument a somewhat different line than the one adopted when the proceedings were begun at Chicago The Attorney General did not deny that at the present time 1t is vital to the business prosperity of the United States that there should be corporations organized with very large capital. But he claimed that such organ ization should represent steady growth and should not be perfected through the purchase of other corporations.
 An incident, of which no report has been made public, occurred a day or two ago in this city, which shows that others who had part for the government in the initial proceedings have adopted this view The Cplnphia TTriu ol,,l& .l George w Perkins to be it's guest at a banquet and requested him to speak from his point of view upon the Sherman law. There were present some $50 gentlemen, trustees, faculty and alumni of Colum- bla university. Dean Emeritus Van Am ringe presided MT. Perkins address was applauded and then it was said that he would be glad to answer any questions. Several of these Columbia men put ques- tions to him and received answers. By and by these rose in the rear of the ban quet hall none other than the special counsel appointed by President Taft to represent the government in the initial proceedings at Chicago, E. r. Grosvenor Of New York. The latest previous time when MT. Perkins and MT. Grosvenor were face to face was at Chicago, MT. Perkins being on the witness stand and MT. Gros- genor the examiner. It was then that MT Perkins testified in a somewhat sem sational manner.
 or course, perfect silence prevailed in the banquet hall. The apprehension was strong that there might again be clash between MT. Perkins and Mir. Grosvenor, who was properly at the banquet, since he is an alumnus of Columbia university Instead Of aggressiveness there was de- vealed in the first words spoken by MT. Grosvenor spirit of conciliation and frendliness. He said that he had ls- tened with the greatest pleasure to MT. Perkins statement of his view of the sherman law and its relation to American business life and that he was willing to state that he agreed with much the great CT part of what MT. Perkins had said. He thought he was justified in saying that he agreed with 90 per cent of all that MT Perkins asserted. He went on to say, however, that the position taken by the department of justice at Washington with respect to the Harvester company is this. The government does not object to big business or to very large capitalization. In fact the government recognizes the ne- cessity in these times for very large cor porations. What it does object to is the obtaining of size and power and financial strength through the purchase of other corporations, for by doing that 1t tends to suppress competition.
 Thereupon Mir Perkins asked Mir. Gros- venor if he could offer any plan by which a corporation could through internal growth gain the strength, financial power and the capacity to command vast amounts of foreign trade except through
 SeFication with other Companies, por by such unification the well perfected or ganizations of these other companies could be brought into a common family. There was silence for a moment and at last a Columbia professor rose and, turn ing to MT. Grosvenor. said: Answer that statement if you can" But the answer was not given The incident was look ed upon as good proof that the government at Washington, well as the people, are taking a new view of the proper relation of the Sherman law to business.