Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1916-05-11

Ashurst bill now before Congress.
bill that in it's ramifcations is far
reaching and of great importance.
Briefly. the bill aims to permit the
manufacturer to stipuiate the mini
mum price at which his goods may
be sold by the wholesaler and by the
retailer to the ultimate consumer, for
the purpose of preventing the cutting
of prices on trademarked articles
which the manufacturer apparently
feels he has a right to control until
they reach the consumer. Its purpose
is TO establish and maintain a uni
formity of prices throughout the
process of distribution from manufac-
turer TO ultimate consumer.
Members of the Chamber of Com
merce are urged to debate the matter
carefully in their own minds with a
view to reaching a conclusion for or
against the bill on its merits and not
because this or shat individual is
voting a certain way, or because the
committee appointed to consider the
problem happens to have decided, in
the majority. in favor of the bill. The
arguments on both sides have certain
features that are convincing. Naturally
the vdfer is going to be somewhat
Influenced by the more or less close
relation to his own business involved
in the passage or defeat of the BILL
Yet there are a sufficient number who
will broad -mindedly decide the ques-
ton for themselves wholly along
altruistic lines. and these are the ones
to whom the National Chamber must
look for the opinion of the city of
Harrisburg as represented in what is
its virtual trade commission.
He who is In favor of the bills pass
age expresses the opinion that price
maintenance prevents price slashing
and unfair competition hurtful to the
small business man; that maintenance
of prices is in accord with the argu-
ment against trusts, that they attain
their supremacy by cutting prices and
driving their weaker competitors out
of business; that price maintenance
represents sound merchandising meth
DDS in that any article of known value
may pass from manufacturer at The
lowest cost for distribution and yet
give each link in the chain of dis
trihutors the fairest remuneration for
their services: that the consumer is at
tracted into the store of the big re-
taller by a great reduction in the price
of a nationally advertised article
merely in order to sell him other
goods at the expense of the small
retailer who cannot afford to cut.
He who opposes the passage of the
bill claims that the merchants inde-
pendence is assailed II he is not per-
mitted to carry on his business to suit
the exigencies of his trade: that he
may find himself on occasion with a
big supply of goods on hand, facing
big loss unless he be permitted TO
sell at a reduced price; that the courts
have handed down decisions guaran-
teeing freedom of control to the whole
saler and retailer by deciding that
control passes out of the hands of the
manufacturer with the transfer of the
goods; that the maintenance of resale
prices places no check upon the manu-
facturer; and that there is nothing to
prevent the lldIuldCluIeT ITOIH TeluS-
ing to sell to the wholesaler or retailer
unless the latter agree to sell at a fixed
price.
The attention OF members of the
Chamber of Commerce is called to The
fact that in casting their vote for or
against the bill they are influential in
expressing the mind of the business
element throughout the country, and
Congress is powerfully influenced by
the opinion of this most important
voice in the country's interests.
Without entering into a discussion
of the merits of this particular bill. il
is becoming a grave question in tine
minds of many a business man as to
how much farther we are TO go with
laws passed by Congress and the State
legislatures with a view TO regulating
business. This newspaper believes in
the fundamental necessity for proper
regulation. but there is a limit to all
things, and if we are not already past
the point where we may go with jus
tice and safety, we are fast approach
ing it.