Evening star., 1945-06-19

greater. We look ~
TO competition to produce new In
dustries and new jobs, an ever ex-
panding economy.
For one reason or another, In
cluding the need for speed, compe-
tition has taken beating during
the war. To obtain war goods
quickly, contracts have been let
to existing big companies and the
stimulating effects of competition
forgotten for the time being. Would
be competitors can show that this
has resulted in excessive costs ano
in the strangling of industrial enter
prise, but, in the atmosphere OF wal
prosperity, their protests have not
availed.
Looking to Future.
Now, however, thought is being
given to the conditions under which
we shall operate after the war. In
the foreground of the postwar pic
ture are billions of dollars worth
of plants and facilities created with
Government money to provide wal
goods and services. The manner IN
which we distribute this surplus
property is certain to have an i'm
portant bearing on the revival Of
competition and the development OF
new industries and new jobs.
The President has named to head
the board that will handle this vital
task w. Stuart Symington of st
Louis. What is his economic phi
losophy?
Less than a year ago the Govern
ment obtained a sweeping judgment
against a group of businessmen
charged with having participated
in the formation or execution OF a
combination and conspiracy to re-
strain interstate trade and COM
merce and to monopolize such trade
or commerce with respect to the
manufacture, distribution and sale
of parking meters and patents relat-
ing to parking meters
This is known as the Vehicular
Parking, Ltd, case. One of the or
panizers of Vehicular Parking, Ltd,
was Mr.. Symington. He was party
to what the Government called the
deals, threats, suits and schemes
through which the other defendants
Joined the combination and consplr-
acy." Says the Government brief :
"At an early stage Joynt. Taylor and
Synington laid down the pattern
which Vehicular and the other de-
PENDANTS were to follow in build
Ing up the combination. ."
Organize Pool.
The three men named were not
manufacturing parking meters and
they owned no patents. There were
two principal companies in this field,
Parkrite and Dual. In August, 1886,
Joynt wrote to Symington and Tay-
Ior: 1.-The parking meter business is
new and seems to offer ample op-
oortunity for profit. From my study
If the patent aspects it seems that
very little has been done to create
= patent monopoly. 1t Is my opin-
ion that a fair start toward such
a monopoly could be gained by pool
ing the patents and patent applica-
ions of Dual and Parkrite."
The pool was organized and In
due course most Of the meter manu.
tacturers came in, some against the
advice of their own attorneys. The
Government offered abundant evi-
dence of the usual practices that 60
with patent monopolies-division of
territories, fixing of prices, suits and
. threats of suits, etc. 1t didn't make
i pretty picture.
Mr.. Symington retired from We
hicular Parking, Ltd, after four
years. But in the course Of its Or
ganization he made his business
philosophy completely clear and it
is this philosophy presumably he
would follow in disposing of the
billions of property bought with the
peoples money and now to be uti-
lized either to the peoples benefit
or otherwise.
The Senate committee will find
that philosophy spread in the pages
Of the Governments brief, notwith-
standing Mr.. Symington's efforts to