The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1916-05-18
STANDARD PRICES
AID COMPETITION
The Stephens Bill Encourages
Rivalry In Quality.
REAL BENEFIT TO PUBLIC.

False Pretense In Merchandising az
Practioed by Big City Stores Is Meth
cd Used to lnjure Small Dealers and
to Destroy Small Towns-Dishonssty
Can't Benefit Consumers.
The true competition is between
rival articles, a composition in ex-
cellenoe, which can never be main
tanned If, through the perfidy of
the retailer who cute prices for
his own Interior purposes, the
manufacturer is forced to compete
in prices with goods of his own
production, while the retailer re-
coups his losses on the cut price
by the sale of other articles at, or
above, their reasonable price. 1T
THAT THE PRICE CUTTER
POCKETS THE LOSS. THE
PUBLIC MAKES 1T UP ON
OTHER PURCHASES. Fixing
the price on all brands of high
grade flour 10 very different thing
from fixing tho price on one brand
of high grade -four. The one
means destruction of all oompeti-
ton and of all incentive to in
creased excellence. The other means
heightened composition and inten-
sified incentive to increased ex-
cslience.
This language, used by the supreme
court Of the state of Washington In a
unanimous decision of the case of the
Fisher FIGURING Mills Co. versus G. A.
Swanson, clearly sets forth the inter
est the consumer has In maintaining
the highest form of competition-that
Of quality. Competition In price re-
suits in inferior quality and the evil
Of substitution. Dishonest advertisers
use cut prices on standard and widely
known merchandise to lure customers
into their establishments, where an
effort will be made to sell anonymous
goods.
The genuine bargain is used as bait"
to spread the impression that all mer-
chandise is sold at the same low mar
gin of profit. If this impression can be-
created the cut rate merchant can sell
unknown goods at as high a figure
as his conscience will permit him to
charge-and his conscience is elastic.
Nearly every mans is more or less so
where profits are concerned.
A Bill to Protect the Public.
Representative Dan V. Stephens of
Nebraska and Senator William f. Ash
urst Of Arizona have introduced In
congress "a bill to protect the public
against dishonest advertising and false
pretenses in merchandising. A SINH
lar measure was introduced in the last
congress by Representative Stevens of
New Hampshire.
1t ought to be automatic that the pub
lie cannot profit through dishonesty or
through false pretenses. The individ-
ual may make pecuniary gain;
thieves, burglars and confidence men
occasionally escape paying the penalty
Of their crimes and are pecuniarily bet
ter of. But the public, the victims OF
the successful criminals, loses.
The Stephens-Ashurst bill provides
for standard and uniform prices on ar
icles sold under trademark or spe-
cial brand, with the widest possible
publicity for buyers and sellers. Oppo-
nents of the bill-adherents of dishon-
est advertising and users of false pre-
lenses In ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS de-
clared that 1t will encourage monopoly
and prevent competition. They have
tried to make consumers believe that
1t will increase the cost of living, that
1t will raise the price of everything
sold in any sort Of store.
No Monopoly Possible.
The bill does not encourage monop
oily, because producers who have mo
nopoly of any particular line or who
make an agreement with competitor
to maintain prices are barred from
taking advantage of the privilege OF
preventing discrimination by contract
ing for the resale of their goods at uni
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS