Evening star., 1939-05-09
Monopoly Committee
Gets Opposing 5torie,
On Price Leader
American Bruss Often
Follows Competitors,
Official Admits
BY the Associated Press.

Lie MOlOpOly SoHiAI1itoCC ACoAo "
conflicting testimony today on
whether the American Brass Co.
is the price leader" in the alloy fab
ricating industry.
H. L. Randall, president Of the
Riverside Brass Co., Riverside. N. j..
testified it was "the custom of the
industry" for smaller concerns to
maintain prices identical with those
published by American Brass,
wholly owned subsidiary Of the Ana
conda Copper Co.
John A. Coe, jr, general sales
manager for American Brass. de-
MED that his company was price
leader for the industry, testifying
that in many instances his company
followed prices set by competitors.
He conceded. however, that there
was "a general following" in the
industry with respect to price pol
icies, and that when one company
raised the price Of a product. others
often followed suit without any nee
essary relation to costs.
Questioned on Beryllium.
AS for other companies following
American Brass prices. Mr.. Coe said.
I'VE publish our prices and any one
who wishes to may follow them at
their own discretion
The committee questioned the wit
nesses in connection with study
Of the beryllium industry, which has
been of relatively recent develop
ment in this country.
Committee investigators put into
the record charts purporting to
show an almost identical rise in the
prises of beryllium copper prod
ucts made by American Brass and
Riverside from 1888 to 1898.
During the period. the charts in
dicated. the prices of both companies
on beryllium copper rods. for ex-
ample, were from about IS cents to
about $130 per pound
Charles B. Sawyer, president of
Bush Beryllium Co. of Cleveland,
testified that in the same period
there was a decline in the cost of
raw material.
German Monopoly Ended.
The committee received testimony
yesterday that British interests
forced the breaking up of a German
monopoly on berryllium rights in
England.
Andrew Gahagan, president of the
Beryllium Corp. Of Temple, Pa.
testified his company and Siemens-
Halske Co. of Berlin had contract
under which they agreed to ex-
change information on beryllium
patents. The American company
was to have exclusive rights in the
Western Hemisphere and the Ger
man firm in Europe.
Previously Mr.. Gahagan had as
serted that the metal, an element
that can be combined with copper,
| nickel or other metals to produce
alloys of increased strength, had
been used with tremendous sue
cess" in Germany in airplane BUSH
ings.
Tells Of Trip.
He said that last year, on a trip
to Europe, he was summoned to see
Chairman Jameson of Vickers,
Ltd, British munitions firm, and
was surprised" to find Mr.. jamie
son was a stockholder in Beryl-
lium Corp.
He quoted Mr. Jameson as say
ing beryllium might be the most
important metal from a military
viewpoint in the next war" and
England would mot be dependent
upon Germany for any military
needs"
you're going to modify that con-
tract" Mr.. Gahagan said Mr.. jamie
son told him. After negotiations
the contract was changed to permit
the American concern to sell in
England, but not elsewhere in Eu-
rope. British interests were able
to force this modification, Mr.. Ca
hagan said, by threatening to ex-
propriate the German and American
patents in that country.
DR.. Ferdinand A. Kertess, Amer
lean representative of Deutsche
Gold-und Silber Scheideanstalt, told
the committee later in the day that
his company had acquired the beryl-
lium rights of the Siemens- -Halske
Co.