Evening star., 1939-07-17
Antitrust and Patent
Law Revision Urged
ByMonopo|yGroup
People Unable to Serve
Own Economic Welfare,
Probers' Report Says
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Revision of the antitrust and
patent laws was advocated today by
the Federal Monopoly Committee,
which declared the survival of the
system of private property depends
upon the restimulation of economic
activity"
The committee submitted to Con-
gress these preliminary proposals
after completing about half its work:
Changes in patent law procedure
to make it speedier and to stimu-
late private initiative; prohibition
of the use of patents for establish
ment of trade restrictions; revision
of the Clayton Antitrust Act to
prohibit corporations from acquir-
ing the assets as well as the stock
of competitors; expanded use of the
civil courts to enforce antitrust
laws.
Civil rather than criminal action
was favored by the committee as
more equitable and more effective.
Stalled Economic Machine.
Discussing economic conditions IN
general, the report said:
with resources of man and ma
terials altogether adequate to attain
the objective desired by all and
to furnish plenty for all, the oppres-
sive fact remains that the economic
machine is stalled on dead center
The people are unable to serve their
own economic welfare"
The committee noted 1T was while
business had a free hand" that the
first crashing evidence of the
failure of the economic machine
appeared"
Government acted" the report
continued. But the evidences Of
failure of the economic machine
have not disappeared"
Senator OMahoney, Democrat, of
Wyoming, chairman Of the 12-man
group. said future hearings would
try to determine what policies
should be adopted to end unemploy-
ment and to raise the standard of
living for all the people. He said
Senator King, Democrat, of Utah
had not concurred in all the pre-
liminary findings.
Change in Procedure.
Discussing the report with news
papermen, Senator O'Mahoney said
procedure and statutes on patents
must be changed so that patent is
a personal award to the inventor OF
use for a limited time" instead of
a basis for monopolistic control or
restraint of trade.
Senator O'Mahoney said hve bills
dealing with patents already had
passed the House and been ap-
proved by Senate committee, with
favorable action likely at the pres
ent session.
In recommending more extensive
use of civil procedure against cor
porations violating the antitrust
laws, the committee said:
Thus the adding of suitable civil
remedy to the antitrust procedure
Will create an important method
which, in the ordinary case, not in
volving moral turpitude. is not only
falrer, but more effective"
Fewer Competitors.
The committee concluded that
"the tendency toward the concentra-
ton OF control of the economic sys-
tenn in fewer and fewer business ex-
ecutives seems proved"
THE consequence of that ten
dency is a steadily lessening number
OF competitors" it added.
1T has been the traditional con-
viction of the people of the United
States that the opportunity of the
citizen to engage in business should
not be restricted and that a system
OF free open competition IS best cal
culated to preserve that opportunity
! 1T is clear, however, that the
financial and other resources re-
quired for economic endeavor are
becoming increasingly difficult for
the ordinary enterpriser to obtain
and that the concentration of eco
nomic power and wealth is &C
companied by increasing unemploy.
ment and narrowing of markets"
The committee reported 1t had
spent nearly $500, 900 of the $1,O10,-
900 voted by Congress for the in
vestigation.