The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1916-05-10
STANDARD PRICES
AID COMPETITION
The Stephens Bill Encourages
Rivalry In Quality.
REAL BENEFIT TO PUBLIC.

Cd Used to lnIure small Dealers ana
to Destroy Small Towns-Dishonesty
Can't Benefit Consumers.
The true competition is between
rival articles, . competition In eS-
oellenoe, which can never be main
tanned II, through the perfidy Of
the retailer who cuts prices for
his own Interior purposes, the
manufacturer is forced TO compete
in prices with goods Of his own
production, while the retailer re-
eoups his losses on the cut price
by the sale Of other articles at, or
above, their reasonable price. 1T
is A FALLAcY TO ASSUME
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 a very different thing
from fixing the price on one brand
Of high grade -four. The ono
means destruction Of all COMPETE
ton and Of all incentive to in
creased excellence. The other means
heightened composition and inten-
slfied incentive to increased OK
oellenee.
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.
I 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 II this impression eau 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 30
where profits are concerned.
OH TO Frotoct the Fuplics
Representative Dan V. Stephens OF
Nebraska and Senator William L. 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 Off. But the public, the victims Of
the successful criminals, loses.
The Stephens-Ashurst bill provides
for standard and uniform prices on ar
tlcles sold under a 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 MISUNDERSTANDING de-
clared that It 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 a 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
form prices. A monopoly, no matter
how it is gained, cannot do business
under the terms OF the Stephens bill,
On the other hand, cutthroat conlpe
tition In price has always been the
chief weapon OF monopoly.
The bill viii not raise prices and In
crease the cost Of living. Producers
already have the right to sell their
goods ut wholesale at any price they
can get, at what they are worth. The
proposed legislation merely permits the
producer 10 control the retail price. and
II he puts this too high-higher than
the public is willing TO pay-then his
goods viii not be sold and he loses.
The cut price stOrekeeper that sells
goods at q loss does not stand the loss;
he passes Il Oh 10 bis customers. What
he loses on one article Is made up. or
more than made up, on another. The
use OF cut prices on standard articles
for the purpose of drawing customers
into the store with the intention OF
selling them something else. that Is
where dishonest advertising is found
and where false pretenses In mer
chaadlsing" Injuries the public.
Cut rates by big department stores
enable them 10 XIII or the small store
and the small towns. Those residents !
OF rural communities, villages and the !
lesser cities who want 10 SEQ their |
home folks injured that the large cities
may grow richer aud larger should |
naturally oppose the stephens bill
Those who desire 10 see their own
vicissitudes prosper should support the
"a.