The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1916-09-13

| iE|i|' ls1 ID 4 lHlI
FERTlLIzER COMPANIES TO
SHOW THEIR CONTROL.
Federal Tfadc Commission Gives Our
Results Of Its Investigation oi
Business-Amliations - Re shown.
washingAop. Sept 7.r-.1pdspsn-
dent prms IN the. fsrtalizer ipaustsy.
actually operated by larger concerns,
or thes socaI'sd 'iFsrtilixer Trust" WALL
hereafter b gully Identified with the
parent interests, according to a re-
port made. puhlic today by, tue federal
fradsfcepmiaalon uhieh has bean In
yestisating the fertilizer sitwltion- The
report says the companies concerned
have aereed To show their various
rslAtAenship on thAir containers aud
ieftsrheRde., sSz. .s,s 80 q, !,
y The com,nisabon's invsstiratioa was
made n cfmplianco with hSaaseso]utipn
iptroduced hast lysar by senator stna-
pnpnss Of Month Caxolins, 10. +, whom
feymsrs' bad cOmpisiss4. rsg,lrd,ng the
haxh' price - fertilissr. ,a1I0. .aQ0. .OQe
worth of Ehichi Wa consuucd by
Amsracan fasmsrs IN 1alA.. In the
Letter. Of spbHittal to the senate, 40.
eompanyinE the report. the cou,nis,
ION asssrts that . theral are, In, the
vnitsd aAatees 400 concernss opera ating
'apTs is1eo plank, 4 but that seven Of
tAs large cOnpsaisA tina ,langsst, bsing
4he visginiA- -Carnliua chemacal. COM
pAnv and the AmAricain i sA1ricSltural
chemical company. control IS per
cant. Of tthe .totai, output lit u as-
rarted thetsths prieas paid by farna-
lsrs Tor mixed sAsrttlixsrs have; bsen,
hish In comparison With the: eaab
yaips Of TIM constituent elemsntss
partly because 4 sof rcrsdlt s,snditions
and sxpsnsivs distribntlng msthods Of
the lhrge companies. 5 sss..g.
Credit cenditicns j affecting farm
'srs." the )sttsr coptinnes lsArs. 40
burdensonas that some adtion,' ieSIs-
latiye Or otherwise should be, taken
to remedy them. ANY xstIpn that
would rsdncs the high Interest rates
on sgridsltarsA crsditsI pastiaularly On
shoFt time iaAnA weu2A tsnd TO re-
dnces the fa<sseFt pxiesa. both, on fer
talissr materials and mixed ferti-
liser2" ,ssg A
BY the practice OF concealing the
idsqt1ty' of soontrnlled companiea,
which the commsssioA has spccsedsd
In having dtecenknpsd. the large corr
peratiess ars saiAs ips4 s4hs report to-
h.vs be}ns eaihi4 4dtS'sst rAors Il deal.
- 1q &Regel legaLl i MD tk,tspthr.
a. ia1 nv frel \ / s311s & u vhjsh
they could np> Get und@r THAR own
ngemea to sell to farmers who are
dissathfed with ytle same goods un-
der Z diasrsnt name. to manipulats
PRICES to the detriment of~fhe small
c6mpstitOrs and .toL be, Responsible, In
part, Cor the absurd multiplication
Of brandt" an
= II said In the letter that in one
StatA out Of 1sS brands OF FERTILIZER
registsrsd, the American Agricultural,
Chsmioal COMPANY ssslstsred In, It's
,owp name and the name. Of subsidi-,
aries, loa, brands. the same formula
subsequently being sold under numer-
ous brand names. Qg'ss, 4
In South Caroline, the Virginia
Carolina Chemical company register
ed ~ brands OF fettiuser. all Of which
were Substantially the. same compost
tiop. ~, 49,
The companies which engaged In
these practices. told the federal inves-
tigstors they did 20 because, oe the
additional business, secured thsrsby.
The commission raisesatAe qustion In
1T letter whether such practices con-
stfnte an unfair method Of competi-
ton In the sense Of section s, OF the
federsitrade commission act. It being
detrimental to competitors. who d.
not employ them. Two Of the largo
companies are said to have refrained
from the now corrected practices on
the ground that It was objection
able"
GERMANS iqF 4OsE GROUND IN wEsT