The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1942-02-13
ON THE
CAPITALS CUFF
By HENRY ION

The U. S. senate recently heard ;
report from it's special committee in
vestigating the problems of small bust
ness which declared small business IL
facing bankruptcy because admins
traitors of the war program are drawn
almost exclusively from the ranks Of
big business.
The same day war production board
chairman Donald Nelson had con
ference with Assistant Attorney Gen
eral Thurman Arnold who heads the
antitrust division of the department
of justice. Nelson did not ask Arnold
to drop antitrust investigations and
cases for the duration of the war.
He merely indicated the WPB would
be pleased If that was the course
adopted by Arnold's division.
1.-THE OPM," said the senate com
mittee's report, was utterly ruthless
toward little business and there is no
sign that the war production board
will take materially different atti-
tude. Tremendous loans have been
made to large concerns and in some
cases the government itself has built
plants for companies to operate. But
small business has had tremendous
difficulty in securing loans of any
kind.
"The history of the past year fails
to record a case in which the govern
ment has built plant for any small
concern, no matter how efficient, to
operate
"Fifty-six of Americas 1S4,230 man
ufacturing establishments have been
awarded over 758o of army and navy
contracts. The remaining fragment
of the defense program is distributed
among about 5000 prime contractors.
OF the concerns not included in the
defense program directly, about 1000
hold sub-contracts. Over $4,000 man.
ufacturing establishments have not
been touched by the OPM in its mob
ilization of the nations industrial re-
sources.
1T is fortunate that the draft of
has not proceeded in sim
liar fashion or our army would con-
sist of extremely brave men, both
regiments of them"
Arnold's position in the dickering
with the war production board is that
If case is important enough for the
defense to warrant winking
at antitrust laws, it is important
enough for the WPB to come out and
say so and directly request that the
case be held in allegiance.
Nelson's position is reported to be
that industry's attention should be
centered entirely on war production
and that it should not have to worry
about antitrust suits that may be
pending in one form or another.
Antitrust suits arising out of the
future activities of firms concerned
with war production, WPB officials
say, do not worry them. Nelson's
powers as WPB chief supersede the
antitrust laws. The justice depart
ment would be hard put to prove that
a combination of manufacturers for
the purpose of speeding production
was in restraint of trade"
The relationship between the senate
committees report and the attempt |
Of the WPB to get Arnold to call
off his dogs is close and direct.
The senate committee, under the |
Craftsmanship of Sen. James E. Muir
'ay d., Mont.), charges that the vast
productive capacity, both in men and
that lies In small business
8 going untapped because men in the
)PM and WPB were and are big bust
1t notes that power has been CEN
rallied in the WPB under Nelson
md declares, "The very concentration
If power in the new WPB only adds
o the danger unless that power is
used"
Antitrust laws have as their pur-
Jose the prevention of the concentra-
ion of power in the hands of a few
concentration such as is
stimulated by the loaning of huge
ums Of money to huge corporations.
Holding in allegiance the legitimate
DUPLICATION of antitrust laws while