Evening star., 1938-08-20
ANTITRUST UNIT
URGED BY ARNOLD
Federal Agency Similar to
Securities Commission
Is Advocated.
By the Associated Press.

Is Advocated.
| By the Associated Press.
Assistant Attorney General Thurman
Arnold wants Federal agency, similar
to the Securities Commission in au-
thority and extensiveness, to enforce
the antitrust laws.
This was the Interpretation given by
some officials to certain statements
Mr.. Arnold made last night in an
address on antitrust statutes.
Mr.. Arnold pointed out that whereas
other Government divisions charged
with executing major laws have many
hundreds of workers, the Antitrust
Division Of the Justice Department has
only 90.
He made it clear that he believes
this force is wholly inadequate to cope
with present problems of monopoly
and he called for an organization with
regional off1ces and personnel suf-
flcient to investigate and prosecute all
| violations"
Mr.. Arnold asserted that the 1893
depression showed an outstanding
weakness" in the marketing Of secur-
tiles and as result Congress enacted
the Securities and EXCHANGE Act.
Price Policing Needed.
He then limited that he thought last
falls recession showed there should be
an organization to police price policies
so as to effect better distribution of
goods to consumers, asserting:
In the recent depression" he said,
I'VE were choked with inventories
which could not be distributed. This
was followed by a demand for an in
vestigation Of the monopoly practices
and price policies which stopped the
now Of goods by destroying the pur-
chasing power of consumers and small
| business men.
We are being forced to take con-
troll of inflexible price structures and
coercions in restrain of trade today
just as in 1888 we were forced to take
control Of the financing and market
ing of securities.
Turning to particular industries,
Mr.. Arnold said:
"As early as 1921 Mr. Adolph Zukor
made a speech in which he predicted
the misfortunes which would come
from the monopoly control of theaters.
He then became one of the leaders in
acquiring control Of theaters.
1T Is not fair to criticize Mr.. Zukor.
With the acquiescent policy of the
Government in 1920 to 1890, he had
to acquire control or some one else
would have beat him."
Oil Industry Is Problem.
Saying the oil industry presented
another major problem, Mr. Arnold
charged that large oil companies had
acquired so many filling stations it
was difficult for an independent COM
pany to market its products.
Congress might well consider" he
said, that the marketing of gasoline
has become q public utility"
The American Medical Association,
which Mr.. Arnold recently accused of
antitrust violations against a CO.
operative medical group, Group Health
Association, also received mention.
The association is preventing qualified
physicians-from practicing their pro-
fession in hospitals, he said, because
it disagreed with their social views as
to the best method Of furnishing
| medical care to the poor.
THE department is not interested
in group health" Mr.. Arnold con-
tinued. cor in any particular form of
labor organization, or in the en-
couragement Of any particular in
dustry. It is only interested In tnsur-
ing equal opportunity for all qualified
persons to compete in either rendering
services or selling goods excepting dn
those cases where Congress decides
otherwise by special exception to the
antitrust laws"
In the more than 40 years since the
| antitrust laws were passed, Mr..
Arnold said, the Government had done
everything but IAN actual practical Job
Of policing"
Business men should not be blamed
for having taken advantage Of the
situation, he added, because the Gov
ernment's acquiescence to violations
left their competitors free to do 80.
Larger Staff Is Urged.
The Justice Department has in
creased its antitrust staff from is at
torneyS to so since 1888, Mr.. Arnold
said, but you can't police . country
as large Is America with . corporals
guard"
80 long as the personnel Of the
department is 80 small that violations
of the antitrust laws must be ignored
because there Is no one to investigate
or try them, we have no practical con-
troll of the situation. With. such an
enforcement organization, antitrust
cases must be selected on the basis OF
their relative importance while the
vast mine-run of offenders are per-
mitted to 60 their way unmolested."
1.-THE Qualification of the law Is in
extricably bound up with the eficient
prosecution of all cases." he said. "The
thousands of price-fixing agreements
and instances of coercion of small