The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-08
Manufacturers Rapidly Are Forming Associations for
 Export Business
PROVISION IS MADE
 BY FEDERAL LAYS
These Laws Specify, However That Exporters Associations Shall Not Engage in Importing
 Activities

Washington, December 7.-American manufacturers are rapidly forming export associations which plan to carry the products of the United States to every nation on earth, to create and enlarge demands for goods Made in America" and to furnish cargoes for the Ameri can merchant marine to transport over the seven seas. The trade invasion of other countries will begin in earnest when Europe has been supplied with food and reconstruction materials and the world gets back to a normal peace basis.
 To avoid collision with provisions of the Sherman antitrust act and the Clay ton law, the new associations are fil- ing statements of their purposes with the federal trade commission, taking ad- Vantage of the Webb bill permitting such combinations solely for the purpose of export trade. This act enables Ameri- cans to combine their strength to com pete successfully with similar combina- t;ons in other countries Up to the pres ent, 52 statements have been filed em- bracing combinations of machinery and tool makers, paper makers, lumber man. ufacturers and general exporters.
 BANDED TOGETHER
 AS a general rule the combinations have been effected along the line of trade associations-that is. all manufacturers in the producing a certain article or series of articles are banding together, somewhat along the lines followed by the Germans in pushing goods to all corners of the earth before the war. Some experts believe that this system Is wrong and that the combinations should be effected along the department store idea-that is, that each combination should include one or two manufacturers of each article and that the associa- ton should be able to furnish everything from a pin to locomotive. They argue this system would save much expense in maintaining salesmen and branch agencies and that just as strong organi- zations can be effected as under the oth- CT plan Advocates of the one-line-of- business idea contend, however, that their system, which sends out highly special ized salesmen to sell one article only and which allocates all orders among the manufacturers embraced in the aS- sociation, makes the stronger combina- ton to meet foreign competition only.
 Officials who have studied the prob- lem think the danger of an outgrowth Of these export associa tions similar to the great metalgesselschaft of Germany which controlled metals and metal prod rcts in all parts of the world both in
 oduction and distribution, is eliminated
 a provision of the Webb bill which | lbits any exporters association from ging in importing activities. This Is ned to prevent, or make undesirable, ol of raw materials. It also is pro- d that the acts of the combinations st not be in any way in restraint of 1 ;e within the United States, the fed ss U trade commission having continual
 rfvision over their activities and each i dual manufacturing or jobbing
 9Ner of the association being amen to the Sherman and Clayton acts IT as his domestic business is con- l.
 ise bureau of foreign and domestic 7nierce is prepared to give aid to the