The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-06-19
FOREIGN MARKET EXTENSION
INVOLVES PUZZLE OF HOW TO
TREAT TRADE ASSOCIATIONS
Leading Members of Administration Seek
Way to Use Organizations to Aid
Commerce. g.
Commerce.

rubber necessary TO be kept In cir
culstion.
Another beneficial action Of the
Automobile Association has been 20
try to standardize and reduce in
number the axles and other metal
parts OF automobiles. 1t is to the
interest Of the manufacturer and 20
society generally that all automo-
biles should be Of standard width.
To Redsee Hickory Waste.
Another beneficial activity of a
trade association has been the re-
cent effort made By certain consum-
ers OF hickory wood to stimulate
the planting and preservation Of
hickory trees for the sake Of the
future. and also bv adopting stand
ardifed sizes TO reduce the waste
now existing between the tree in
the forest and the axe handle or the
spoke or whatever In the ultimate
manufactured form Of the wood.
The theory Of the administration
is TO preserve the beneficial activi-
ties Of these organizations. while at
the same time preventing an agree
ment on prices to the consumer
which Is Illegal and contrary to the
government.
Some members Of the sovernment
would go so far-ss 20 permit these
trade associations to include IN
their activities the collection OF sta
tistics about prices in widely sepa-
rated communities. statistics about
local demand here and there. and
about stocks on hand at various
be
statistics and their distribution TO
Individual members of an associa
ton would give those members the
opportunity for a degree Of uni
formity Of price cannot be doubted
Government Aid Needed.
But the theory Of some members
Of the administration is that the
economic benefit Of this practice
can be preserved. and its possibl-
ity Of mischief discounted BY the
Gevice of making these statistics
just as readily available TO the con-
sumner as TO the producer. Their
theory IL that IL the buyer Of coal
is as well informed about prices ana
other details of trade conditions as
the seller is. then the buyer would
be under no disadvantage. This
could only be accomplished. OF
course. by a much larger identinca-
tion OF the government with the
trade associations than is now the
case. In fact. the government. and
not the trade association. would
nave to be the collector and Gus
todian Of the statistics.
This whole subject goes TO the
very heart Of human and political
philosophy. Americans. by their
traditions. are extremely individ-
ualistic in their point Of view. A
very large number Of Americans are
temperamentally opposed to trade
associations on every ground. Many
OF us tend to be suspicious ~ them
merely because Of the power that is
Inherent in them. Much Of the on
position from radicals in Congress
rests on this basis. The point OF
view is that IL an institution Is hie
and powerful. therefore. il contains
the possibility Of menace to the In
dividual. and is to be regarded with
suspicion.
Two Glasses Exempted.
For the purposes Of reasonable
and just discussion. the subject Is
complicated by the fact that we
have formally exempted two classes.
namely. farmers and laborers. from
the operation Of laws even against
price agreement We are therefor.
in the position Of saying that what
Is immoral for one class Of persons
Is moral for another class
There are some. although COM
paratively few, who would carry
their prejudice against price fixing
to the extent Of preventing labor
unions from practicing IL. But this
tolerance can only rest on the
ground that the individual laborer
Is weaker and more helpless per
son than the individual manufac-
turer or dealer. when YOU start to
practice this kind % discrimination
and TO draw this kind 81 line YOU
are in a whirlpool Of difficulty so
far as logic is concerned
But the fact e. that this nation.
in its economic evolution. 10 exactly
at This poin. right now. and during
the past week the thought ~ some
OF the most important members %
the administration has been devoted
TO finding some way out and some
clear and easily dehnahle status
that Will last us for a time al least
and get Us across the food OF our
present troubles.