The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-18
VALIDITY OF RULING DOUBTED Conformity Tn So Far As Practicable Is Prom
 ised $3O,OOO, 900 SAVING YEARLY ESTIMATE Agreement Ends Long And Bitter Legal
 Battle NINE COMPANIES
 JOIN IN RESPONSE Tennessee Coal, Iron And Rail- road Company One Of Corpo-
 rations Involved
NINE COMPANIES
 JOIN IN RESPONSE
fRr Assoeiatsd Press.l ]

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 WASHINGTON, Sept. IT, The United States Steel cor poration and other concerns affected have notified the fed eral trade commission that they will fonform, insofar as it is practicable to do so, to the commissions order di- recting abandonment of the Pittsburg plus system of es- tablishing prices in the lrl- dustry.
 The decision was made pub lie today by the commission, the respondents having deter mined to conform without admitting the validity of said order or the jurisdiction of the commission to make the same.
 T. c. I. Sigma, ss
 The response was signed by the Tinted States Steel corporation, Amer ican Bridge company, American Sheet ff- Steel company, National Tube company, American Steel and Wire company, IT. linois Steel company, Minnesota Steel company and Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad company.
 The commissions order was dated July 21, after a long series of hearings and arguments which marked the case as one of the most bitter the federal agency has considered, The order held that the Pittsburgh iplus system, by which the corporation and it's subsid- iaries quoted prices from all plantg, re- gardless of location, at the Pittsburgh base price plus freight charges from that city to destination, was an unfair method of competition in violation of the federal trade commission act, and a means of price discrimination in vio- lation of the Clayton act.
 The commission further held that the system lessened al eliminated compe- tition regarded business in all steel cen ters except Pittsburgh, and added great ly to the cost of steel products, amount ing to $50, ,O00 a year in il western states. It was said the order. similar in effect to the old "steel pools" "Gary dinners" and other methods regarded as price-fixing systems contrary to pub lie interest and not in accord with the law of supply.
 The proceeding was originated by the commission and hearings were held at practically all producing points, with attorneys for 32 associated middle western states and steel consumers later joining in the fight to have the system abandoned.
 The Response
 The respondents, in the report made public today and dated yesterday, an nounced that they "have abandoned the Pittsburg plus system, as defined in said order, throughout their various or ganizations and will not thereafter make use of the same," and asserted further
 Respondents will not quote for sale or sell their rolled steel products upon any other passing point than that where -the products are manufactured or from which they are shipped.
 Sales from manufacturing plants, fabricating plants and warehouses will be made f. O. b., plant or warehouse, or at delivered prices, as occasion may of fer. In all cases of sales at delivered prices the contract of sale or the in- voice will clearly and distinctly indi-
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