The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1931-07-06
NEA Service Writer

NEA service writer
Washington.-Ther nice thing
about the federal trade commission,
in case you don't know.
1t protects you and me from a lot
of slickers who are constantly try
ing to gyp us by false pretenses.
False claims and misbranding of
goods come under the general head
of unfair competition with the
commission, but while the law thus
designedly protects business firms
from each other it also saves a
whole lot of consumers who would
be likely to believe whatever they
were told.
The federal trade commission,
that is, keeps advertisers honest.
Most of them presumably are hon
est anyway, but a glance at some
of the cases wherein the commits
sion has issued orders to cease
and desist" indicates that some of
them would like to get away with
murder.
Testimonial Subsidy
About a year ago the commission
decided that when companies paid
for testimonials for their goods
they would have to admit the fact
when using same for advertising
purposes. Thus one finds that re-
Gently the commission had to get
after hosiery company which was
paying money to actresses and u.s.
ing their testimonials and photo
graphs with no conspicuous men
ton of the monetary consideration
as required. The same firm. the
commission found, was using I'M
authorized endorsements alleged to
come from actresses.
A common complaint Is that
companies claim to be manufacture
ers of the goods they sell when
they aren't. The commission puts
a stop to that sort of thing, too.
The prize among recent cease
and desist" cases was offered by q
burial vault concern. The commits
sion says 1t Is charged with:
Offering rewards for the disin-
terment of burial vaults of competi-
tors; acquiring and exhibiting
products Of competitors and calling
attention to their alleged bad con-
dition; circulating pictures mad let
tiers disparaging competitors prod
ucts and the value of their guaran-
tees; securing the cooperation OF
cemetery associations and the gu
perintendents Of cemeteries in .5n'
Quoting a campaign against competi-
tors products.
Making Wild Claims
| other similar stipulations lately
have covered such bad actors ir
business as have been:
Producing compound designated
as IAN infiltrating oxygen reducing
cream" alleged to remove excess
fat from any part of the body.
! Asserting that a CERTAIN trans
former for automobiles will "elimi'
nate carbon. fire any spark-plug re-
CARELESS of condition, eliminate the
necessity for new piston rings and
reboring cylinders, and save from
LIS to 40 per cent on gasoline"
| Promoting a "coal saver" which
although composed mostly of COM
mon salt, was represented as making
poor coal good and good coal bet
ter, as preventing and removing soo'
and as increasing the heat of 9
given quantity OF coal from % to "a
per cent.
Using statements and pictures
for a poultry farming correspond
ence school which implied a larger
faculty and more space than ex'
listed.
Using the words English" anc
"China" to designate mems cloth.
ing articles made elsewhere anc
silk" "crepe," "flanne" ant
"suede" to describe things made Of
other materials.
False advertising among coloree
people Of charms. sex books ant
similar articles"
Representing a battery solution
as one that would not freeze ant