Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-03-18
TRADE Commission
ANNOUNCES PLANS
Federal Board Will Not Make
Advance Rulings on
Business.
WILSON AND MEMBERS
HOLD A CONFERENCE
Annoying or Harassing Business Is
Not Contemplated-Foreign Sell
ing Agencies First on Program.

Business men who have counted upon
the possibility of being able to obtain
from the federal trade commission
! rulings in advance or advisory infor-
| nation with respect to specific plans
they have in mind to carry out in their
businesses will not be able to obtain
such rulings, according to information
| obtained at the offices Of the commits
sion today.
The question came up in connection
with mass of Inquiries which have
been directed to the Department of Jus
tice, in which corporations. firms and
individuals all over the country sought
to obtain from the department specific
informa tfon as to what they might or
might not do in specific cases in their
businesses which they detailed. 1t was
announced that these inquiries are to
be turned over to the federal trade
commission.
The commission will not be able to
give detailed rulings in advance.
While the commission will be glad to
1t is stated that it does not intend to
adopt any policy which might be con-
strued as creating a system Of licenses
to proceed with business plans.
might be addressed to the commission
in the best of faith. the details of cir
cunstances In connection with in
quiries might not always be complete.
For another. it was pointed out by
one member of the commission that
business men have heretofore sought
information as to what they might do
from various government agencies,
and have proceeded in good faith along
the lines of the information obtained.
ha ta of ffpaC hot
prosecutions for alleged violations of
the antitrust laws have occurred.
Declines Advance Rulings.
For the commission to undertake to
give rulings In advance on what bust-
ness men may or may not do would
subject it to a demand upon its time
which might be overwhelming. In
other words, it is said that the COM
mission cannot undertake to act as
counsel, or attorney, for corporations.
firms or individuals. although the COM
mission will be glad to confer with
business men at all times.
Under the trade commission act,
members of the commission feel. no
duty of advising business men In ad-
vance is placed upon the commission
They would be swamped, it Is said. il
they attempted to consider forms of
contracts or selling agencies or agree
ments which might be submitted for
approval
The commission Is required by law to
aid the Department of Justice in disen-
tangling the affairs of a corporation
where violation of the act has been
disclosed by investigation. All of its
responsibility in this regard. however, is
limited to advice after the fact and the
commissioners have determined among
themselves, it is said. that 1t would be
impossible to interpret, In advance at
ion, s,vx@
cif1c instance, the regulations for the
government of interstate concerns
which it will promulgate.
Voluntarily Obey Law.
Many corporations are voluntarily
complying with the terms and spirit
of the new trust laws by altering forms
Of contracts and agreements. The COM
missioners have as yet not discussed
in detail the regulations they are re-
quired to formulate to put the act into
effect.
The New Willard Hotel, which had
placed at the disposal of the interstate
commerce commission room on the
mezZanine floor in which public hear
ings may be held. announced today
that the hotel has placed at the dis
posal of the federal trade commission
the small ballroom on the tenth floor
in which hearings may be held.
Fhe appointment was announced of
Raymond B. Stevens. former repre-
sentative from New Hampshire, who
helped to write the unfair practices
clause of the trade commission act, as
special counsel for the commission, at
a salary of $500 year
With Constructive helpfulness" as
it's announced policy toward business,
the new federal trade commission set
to work today to carry out its program
as agreed upon at conference last
President Wilson and the commission
ers
No Business Harassment.
The commissioners let it be known in
outlining their policy, that there was
no intention of beginning a campaign
of annoying or harassing business,
but, on the contrary, that it was grad
ually to outline and map out ways
wherein corporations doing an inter-
state trade may conduct their business
conformable to the antitrust laws Co
relations with the Department of JUS
work.
Inquiry will be started at once, it is
announced, into common selling agen-
cies abroad maintained by numerous
foreign corporations. to determine
whether similar agencies should be or
eanized by American business. This
Investigation was authorized by the
law creating the commission.