The twice-a-week Twin Falls times. (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1916-1918, 1917-12-13
TRADE COMMISSION FOR
GENERAL PRICE FIXING
international News service)


WASHINGTON, Dec. Sweeping
changes in methods of regulating big
business are recommended in the an
nual report of the federal trades COM
submitted to congress today.
Primarily, the commission recon-
mends that Congress enact Legislation
which will place price fixing on firm
and practically permanent basis and
which will give authority to abrogate
contracts made prior to the date or
price fixing, especially as to the steel
and coal industries The commission
recommends the regulation Of trade
associations which the body believes
are the successors to the old trusts
which were broken up by the Supreme
Court Of the United States.
The commissiOn's report sets forth
that in connection with it's investiga-
tions into the cost OF production OF
various commodities it found itself
handicapped because of lack Of or
ganizatiOn in methods of gathering in
formation The recommendation is
made that the information collected
by the advisory committees of the
council of national defense and other
information collected by semi-Official
government bodies be made by law
public records Authority also is re-
quested to require reports containing
desired trade information not only
from firms and corporations, but
from individuals. By this means, the
commission says, vast amount OF in
valuable material could be collected
/ by the government for use in carrying
on the industrial end of the war and
( in the economic struggle which will
~, 81 g fI,a
The commission suggests the ad
visibility OF further investigating for
4 eign trade methods of American indi
viduals and corporations, with a view
to presenting a report which woul'
be useful in the newly created foreign
commerce of the United States, nov
existant and to follow the coming o
peace.
AS to price fixing. the commission
says that this has become "a primo
necessity The experience of Eng
land and France has shown the wis
dom of wide extension of such a pol
ICY says the report. Price fixing
should be extended to cOmmoditie
beyond food and fuel, and, in fact
should cover nearly everything. Tit
commission recommends that if sucf
l legislation be provided, provision b.
made for the abrogation of lOng-term
contracts made prior to the price fix
ing legislation, as continuance of thess
contracts would initiate against the
success of the whole program.
The commission says that its ex-
perience in dealing with unfair com
petition has revealed that trade as
sociation constitute the connection be
tween corporations in the same line
of trade by which abuse of SELLING
methods is made possible. These as
sociations are frequently made The
channels for unlawful monopolisti'
action in various trades and SHOULD
be suppressed, it is stated. 1t is rec
commended that legislation be enacted
which would make all records o
these associations public.
The commission recommends tina
congress give renewed attention t.
the question OF the alleged Standar'
Oil monopoly of the petroleum indus
try in the United States. The repor
states that the commissions investi
CATION into the petroleum and gaso
line Industries revealed a communit
OF interest among the various Stand
ard Oil companies into which the Su
preme court dissolved the old Stand
| ard Oil Trust.