The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-12-04
MAY START PROBE
 PETERSBURG PLUS" CASE IN JANUARY
Final Preparations Completed Attorneys for Trade Com mission and Steel ASso-
 citation Here Last Week

Hearings of the federal trade com mission in the 'Pittsburs plus cases are expected to take place early in January following more than six months of preparation by attorneys, l. investigators and other experts, ac- cording to Charles L, Harold. secre- tary-manager of the Birmingham Civic Association.
 , Final preparations were made dur ,, ing the past week when Baldwin B. ! Bane. counsel for the trade commits sion, and Elliot Cheatham of Atlanta, attorney for the Southern Associa- , ton of Rolled Steel Consumers. spent more than four days in conference with Birmingham manufacturers and ; the -Pittsburg plus" committee of :. the Civic Association.
 It Is probable that besides Chicago. Pittsburg and other northern points, hearings will be held at Chattanooga. New Orleans. Birmingham and other southern cities.
 A preliminary victory was wen by
 
 the Civioe Association and other or ganizations on April 26, 1891. when they secured the complaint Of the federal trade commission In the mat ter.
 Alleges Discrimination
 The average person in Birming- ham does not yet fully understand the effect of the Pittsburg plus dis crimination against this district In the steel trade" said Secretary Man ager c. L. Harold of the Civic Asso- ciation yesterday.
 The practice of adding S5 ton arbitrarily to the Pittsburg price for rolled steel products such as plates, shapes and bars manufactured in Birmingham and, according to Judge Gary, at much less cost than in Pitts burg, greatly restricts the trade ter ritory of the fabricating plants that are already here and Is a decided in- fluence to preyent other fabricating plants locating in Birmingham.
 Violation Must Be Shown
 "Tn order to abolish the discrimina- tion through the action of the federal trade commission, it. was necessary to prove that the steel producers in following the 'Pittsburg plus prao- tice were violating the Clayton act or some other antitrust law.
 ''The Clayton law forbids discrim- inatlon between purchasers of the same commodity in the matter of price and 1t Is alleged in the com plaint of the trade commission that manufacturers in the Pittsburg dis trict are given such preference over Birmingham and Chicago in prices for their steel or raw material that they can sell their products on a pari- ty with their competitors in the south and west in the latters own territory. whereas the southern and western manufacturers cannot compete on anything like equal terms in the Pittsburg territory.
 Can't Compete Successfully
 Tt is fact that our most sffi- cient Birmingham manufacturers cannot compete successfully with Pittsburg manufacturers for. heavy tonnage jobs in certain large oil fields of Texas. The small difference of freight rate between Pittsburg and Birmingham in favor of the lat ter is offset by the amount of the plus In the price of the steel.
 Tt should be made clear that in this case there is nothing but friendly test of the law. At the be- ginning of the proceedings in Wash ington. Judge Gary expressed friendly attitude toward those seek ing relief and, himself. urged the federal trade commission to take Jurisdiction of the case and investi- gate the fuil facts"