Evening star., 1937-04-29

Davlu Lawrence.
ton and a re-
statement and reinforcement of the
antitrust laws. Likewise there may
seem to be contradiction between the
legalized monopoly and price fixing
granted to coal producers under the
Guffey law and the Presidents notifl-
cation to House and Senate leaders
that he wants action held up on the
Miller-Tydings bill which would enable
prices of cert in articles to be main
tanned when resold by manufacturers
through dealers and other outlets.
The truth is the whole thing pieces
together symmetrically. Mr.. Roose-
welt is against price-hxi when
private companies do it, but he Is for
it when the Government has control
or supervision, as in the Guffey coal
bill
Mr.. Roosevelt is against monopoly
which is alleged to lead to collusion
in ce-fxing in basic industries like
steel, but he favors Government con-
troll of prices through a commissioner
or tribunal specializing in that subject.
When the Attorney General says
in his letter that the antitrust laws
need revision, he points out that 'the
machinery of the courts is not geared
to the handling of the social and
economic factors necessarily involved;
and many persons and communities
seriously affected cannot be parties to
ho
trust laws"
So it might also be argued about the
Guffey act, that persons and commu-
mites affected and social and economic
factors may be involved and yet not
get protection under the Guffey act.
STILL the New Deal will answer, that's
the function of the CONSUMERS coun-
sell and the National Bituminous Coal
Commission itself.
The Attorney Generals letter I'M
doubtedly was written for the purpose
of expressing point of view desired
by the President himself. Rarely If
ever nowadays does anything formal
come from cabinet officer that isn't
suspected Of having been approved In
advance by the White House so that
In effect the letter Is considered rs
Mr.. Roosevelt's own viewpoint.
The latest pronouncement, therefore,
asking for restatement OF the anti
trust laws on the ground that they
are not adequate Is taken to mean
that the administration really wants
to get new powers to deal broadly
with industry. Instead Of being con-
tented to put into the Guffey law and
the antitrust laws, something that
simply stirs up men like Senator
Borah and other true liberals who
do not believe in the Fascist philosophy
of price fixing now being embraced by
the administration, the plan Is to
revise the entire antitrust law struc-
ture. The idea is to outlaw monopoly
and trusts and proclaim free competi-
ton, but yet give the Federal Govern
ment certain power over price control
which amounts to legalizing the ex-
listing producers in groups resembling
European cartels, now Americanized
under the word codes" such as the
N. R. A. started
Miller -Tydings Bill.
The Miller-T -Tydings bill and the fact
that 40 States have laws on resale
price maintenance Is disturbing
influence in the administrations gen.
eral plan, hence the move to squelch
1t. The administration may take up
the resale price maintenance idea or
the so-called "loss leader" in another
form, but it is moving slowly till it
gets broad general powers. The Rob-
tnson-Putman act is an example of
the confusion which the adminiStra-
ton has encountered in going at the
problem of trying to regulate business
piecemeal. What is desired by the
President undoubtedly is price control
by governmental commission. The
need for this has been emphasized
recently by members of his official
family, including Gov. Eccles OF the
Federal Reserve Board, who sees 1t
as necessary to prevent imitation and
q boom.
For the moment the Department Of
Justice and the Federal Trade Com
AiAcoAoAA dAC DCAAk ooACO W oCuOy GllCcS
questions, but the truth is the admin
istration wants to wait till the Supreme
Court Of the United States is properly
packed with judges of its own choos-
ing so that the next move to control
all business will not be upset by q
Supreme Court decision. Hence be-
tween now and the time the present
controversy over the size Of the court
Is settled, methods OF imposing price
control will be studied.
Meanwhile the administration wants
no interference by the passage Of frag-
ments Of legislation touching on mis-
cellaneous phases Of the matter when
tho whole business structure Is due to
undergo = surgical operation 1T it,
hands to regulate prices and, Of course
ultimately, profits.
AZ the saying might well be. Ger
man and Italian papers pleace copy,
for It means the death sentence to the
system Of free competition as it has
been known in America for $50 years.