Evening star., 1935-06-08
PROBE Of LOBBY"
/. AIDED BY SEIZURE
/ OF FILED LETTERS
Four Investigators to Spend
/ Ten Days in Study Prior
to Hearings.
MERCHANTS MYSTIFIED
AT CONGRESSIONAL ACT
Declare Government Decision
Came Before Organization
Was Perfected.

Four investigators, working for the
House Super Lobby" Committee, in
vestigating activities Of the American
Retail Federation, Inc, which recently
opened Offices here, were busy today
going through files seized under off,
cial subpoena from an af1iliated or
ganization. the Food, Drug and Gro
Gerry Chain Stores of America, Inc.
The files were taken from Offices in
the National Press Building by q rep
resentative of the House sergeant at
arms.
Representative Patman, Democrat,
OF Texas. chairman of the Investi-
eating Committee, has allotted 10
days for his men to look over the
seized files-two truck loads of them
and to bring any relevant papers to
his attention before June II, when
committee hearings will be resumed.
Meanwhile, many Of the retail mer-
chants who were here recently to at
tend the hearings insist they do not
| know what it is all about. All they
know is that the Government stepped
In with an investigation before a pro-
posed organization actually got started.
Thorough Probe Planned.
While the merchants were wonder
ing, Patman let it be known that his
Investigating Committee has every
idea of carrying on an investigation
ranging from charges of lobbying to
cut-rate buying and selling. He in
timated the work before the committee
may approach proportions equal to
those of celebrated investigations of
the past.
The letters in the seized files, II
they tell the story Patman believes
they will tell, will stand as evidence in
the hearings, which may be conducted
in other cities outside of Washington
as well as here.
So far, Patman has declined to dis
close what has been found in the files
OF the food, drug and chain stores of
America, although he intimated the
search has not been in vain.
The decision to subpoena the Chain
Store Associations records was made
at the outset of this weeks opening
hearing after John A. Logan, execu-
tive secretary and manager of the
''e-oAiAAAe1o1 w O4hSCp IldQ nlSlSJeQ Lie
committees representative specify
what files were wanted before he
would hand them over.
Powers Are Broad.
Patman told newspaper men that
under the amended House resolution
authorizing the committee to 20 into
whatsoever practices of retailers and
wholesalers 1t believed necessary, I'VE
have broader powers than even the
Federal Trade Commission" Asked
how far the committee would 20, he
said, "just as far as Is necessary"
Patnan also said he was drafting
a bill to prohibit rebates from manu-
tacturers to chain store buyers that
are not given also to independent
and other buyers, on grounds that
Euch practices are discriminatory
1t was developed at the committee
hearings earlier in the week that the
most influential member of the Food,
Drug and Grocery Chain Stores Of
America, Inc, Is the Kroger Grocery
and Bakery Co., of which Col. c. o.
Sheriff., head of the American Re
tail Federation. formerly was vice
president.
1t also was stated that another
member is Safeway Stores, of which
the Sanitary stores here are units,
and that Safeway Stores is ]. p. Nor
gan owned. 1t was said today by
Sanitary officials that Morgan had no
interest in Safeway.