Evening star., 1933-06-13
.BORAH ATTACKS
INDUSTRIAL BILL
Hits Elimination of Provisions
to Prohibit Price-Fixing
in Conference.

BY the Associated PreSS.
Assailing elimination of provisions to
prohibit price-fixing and combinations
in RESTRAINT of trade, Senator Borah,
Republican of Idaho, today opened de-
bate on the conference report on the
administrations industrial control-pub-
lie works bill in the Senate.
Under a unanimous consent agree
ment entered into yesterday vote was
set for not later than 4 pm. today.
Democratic leaders were not worried
over the outcome.
Calling attention that the conferees
retained that part of his amendment
prohibiting monopolies and monopolistic
practices, while striking out the bans
against price fixing and combinations
in restraint of trade, Borah said it was
difficult to know what was in the
minds of the conferees."
"It must be-" he added, "that they
are of the opinion that price-f1xing and
combinations in restraint of trade are
not monopolistic practices.
tions under this bill, then, which may
provide for combinations and price-fx-
ing would not be monopolistic prac-
tice. And when codes are thus framed
any individual pursuing an individual
business may be fined for violating the
provisions Of the code"
Bill Bans Monopolies.
Senator Wagner. Democrat of New
York, principal author of the bill. told
Borah the bill makes the declaration
by law that there are to be no monop-
olies."
"It Is my deliberate judgment" :"
Borah said, that whatever may be the
purpose of the trainers of this leg1sla-
tion, if we do not have strict provisions
against price fixing and combinations In
restraint of trade, they will insidiously
reach into these codes in spite OF any
supervision and eliminate small enter
prises."
Wagner replied that Borah Seemed
to be overlooking the fact that the anti
trust laws have conceived and nurtured
these large enterprises and that during
the reign of the antitrust laws these
tremendous enterprises have grown"
I'VE are trying by a new method"
Wagner said. ito reach the same OBJ
jective sought in the antitrust laws"
I'VE want to give an equal voice to
small business In the formulation OF
the code. I am in sympathy with the
Senator from Idaho. We must provide
against monopolistic tendencies"
Wagner added that the moment
would become illegal, but that every
code would contain provision against
sales below the cost of production,
which, he said, was "one of the vicious
things"
To adopt the Borah amendment,
Wagner said, would "nullify the entire
act"
Trust Made Contributions.
Referring to Wagner's statement that
the antitrust law had failed to prevent
monopolies and concentration Of wealth,
Borah said the great trusts" made
contributions to campaigns of both
parties and "that has had its effect in
failure to enforce the antitrust law"
He quoted the party platforms for
strengthening those laws and said the
bill would suspend them.
Every telegram I've received, pro-
testing against my amendment, and
there have been 200," he said, has
protested the prohibition against price
fixing"
He said the Rockefellers built up
their great industrial empire through
the two powerful bludgeons of price
fixing and combinations in restraint of
trade" but the bill wiped out such
safeguards against monopolies.
Decision Reached Yesterday.
The decision to vote this afternoon
was reached in an agreement late yes
terday. The long-drawn-out veterans
dispute had delayed the advent OF the
conference report, already agreed upon
by the House, to the floor. The vote
will complete congressional action on
one of the most sweeping bills OF the
session.
Senator Clark, Democrat, Of Missouri
protested yesterday the elimination OF
his amendment to remove tax exemp-
tions from all Government, State and
municipal securities, and said he would
speak at length today against this
action.
Charge Conferees Prejudiced.
Clark and Senator Long, Democrat,
of Louisiana complained that the Sen
ate conferees had entered the confer
ence with the House prejudiced in ad-
vance against these amendments and
had made no effort to retain them.
Wagner told Long he was mot quite
accurate" in saying the ban against
price fixing was eliminated.
Under the modification" said the
New Yorker, mo code shall permit a
monopoly or monopolistic practices"
Senator King, Democrat Of Utah, one
of the conferees, also told Clark his
amendment was the subject OF serious
consideration by members OF the con-
ference"