The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1938-11-17
Consumer Notes
Issued Weekly by Consumers
Counsel Division, A. A. A.
Washington, D. c..
Another Milestone of Consumer
Protection

Biggest ad-reaching job ever at
tempted has just been launched by the
Radio and Periodical Division of the
Federal Trade Commission, writes the
CONSUMERS GUIDE, publication of
the Consumers Counsel Division of
the AAA.
Acting to protect consumers against
false and misleading advertising and
to halt unfair competitive methods,
the Division will read the thousands
of newspaper, periodical, and radio
ads now pouring into the offices Of
the F. T. c.
They will check about $50 daily and
weekly newspapers selected on rep
resentative basis, in addition to over
400 magazines and periodicals, rang
ing from the Scent publications to
the most expensive. An average Of
copies of each of these publications
will be examined during the year.
Every one of Americas GIT radio
stations will send in it's local adver-
tising programs for 15-day period
4 times a year for examination by the
Commission. All the national network
advertising programs will come in
weekly for checking. Even the COM
mercial announcements on electrical
transcriptions" must be reviewed by
the Commission. All radio advertising
is checked after the broadcast takes
place unless otherwise requested by
the advertiser.
Protection Of the consumer against
false advertising of foods, drugs, cos
metics, and healing devices was speci-
fically given to the Federal Trade
Commission by the Wheeler-Le
amendment to the Federal Trade Com
mission Act passed at the last session
of Congress. The same amendment
gave the Commission power to pre-
vent business practices injurious to
consumers as we'll as those damaging
to competitors. In past years the
Commission has been able to clamp
down on false or misleading advertis-
ing only when it was an "unfair
method of competition"
Though the biggest, this division
isn't the only adwatcher for the Com
mission. Very often individual con-
sumers or business concerns file COM
plants with the Commission against
ads which they think false and mis-
leading, and ask that the ads be in
veStigated.
X X X
When You Buy An Electric Iron
Weight and wattage capacity should
be your guides when in the market
for an electric iron. Researchers at
the Virginia Agricultural Experiment
Station who made a thorough study OF
all types of electric irons found that
the new lightweight ones with ca.
pacity Of 1000 watts will give best
service to consumers.
"For regular, longtime, household
ironing duty, no iron should be con
sidered unless it is Enthusiastically
controlled and has 1000 watts heating
capacity" says the report. Though
some irons of lower wattage ratings
were found acceptable by the station
experts, few of them measured up tt
ordinary household standards.
"The new light weight irons reduce
handling energy considerably over tht
heavy ones, and are entirely satisfac
tory because heavy pressure is no
necessary in average household iron
ing" the report continues.
The report also recommends tina
the iron have permanently attached
cord, moulded rubber handle, and i;
tip-up safety rest, with thermosta
dial marked directly with the name.
of. the materials and an "off" posi-
ton. For irons having temperature
Indicator the correct zones for iron
ing are: linen, 375-425 degrees; cot
ton, 325-375 degrees; rayon, 275-32I
degrees.
AS caution against poor buys, The
report says: "The purchaser Of al
electric iron will have to depend upol
the reliability of the manufactures fol
satisfactory performance from the
iron and have to pay good price fol
good product. Cheap, bargain-typt
irons seldom give satisfactory per
formance.'
Soaps For Laundry And Kitchen
Be sure you know how much SOAP
you are getting when you buy it il
the form of flakes or beads, advises
the CONSU MERS' GUIDE, pubica.
tion of the Consumers Counsel Di.
vision of the AAA. The same caution
holds for soap chips and powders.
Their convenience may Justify high
er cost to you, but to know how much
more you are paying for convenience
you should know how much soap you
actually get in each box.
"Flakes and beads are sometimes
purer than cake laundry soaps" says
the GUIDE. when they are purer
they are better suited for delicate
fabrics. Soaps Of this type should be
mild and, according to the standards
by which the Government buys
should contain not over 10 percent
water, and no more than two-tenths
Of one percent Of free alkai. Those
for fine silks, woolens, and rayons
should be used with lukcwarm water