Evening star., 1947-08-17

the file may be closed without
prejudice.
i In case Of outstanding formal
complaints not yet adjudicated, II
any respondent becomes q subscriber
to the conference rules and in fact
complies, the commission will en-
tertain q motion to suspend without
prejudice those charges in the COM
plant which are adequately covered
by the trade practice conference
rules. = The. right to institute
further action will be specifically
reserved - t
Il further move that the commits
sion amend its statement OF policy
contained in subparagraph (b) Of
its statement Of policy Of December
II. 1916. to read:
Policy Cited
Wherever the commission has
reason to believe that any person
has been engaging in practices VIC.
lative Of the provisions Of the acts
administered by the commission,
and that the interest of the public
will be more expeditiously served by
50 doing, 1t may withhold the issu.
ance of q formal complaint and ex.
tend an opportunity to execute Q
stipulation, satisfactory to the COM
mission, in which the proposed re-
spondent, after admitting the mate
rial facts, agrees to- cease and desist
from and not resume such practices.
1t is not the policy Of the commits.
sion thus to dispose Of matters In.
volving intent to defraud or mis- 'ad
or the false advertisement of 70 Is,
drugs. devices or cosmetics WI ch
are inherently dangerous or VIII re
injury Is probable '""
"The adoption of the policy rec
commended will require as q matter
OF internal policy that there be
constant and continuing check Of
compliance by subscribers to trade
practice conference rules. It will be
imperative that any subscriber or
nonsubscriber who engages in law
violations contrary to the trade
practice conference rules for his
industry be promptly and vigorously
proceeded against by way Of COM
plant.
"This Is necessary to the success
of the expanded program because
without 1t the rules lose force and
prestige In the industry, and the
door will be open to an easy route
for avoiding compliance with the
law. The trade practice policy will
ef1ectuate mass compliance rather
than permit mass evasion Of the
law. "
Clash of PHILOSOPHERS
According to MIR. Mason's testi-
mony before the Senators-he did
not appear previously because he
did not agree with the present
methods" Of spending funds-ths
policy President Truman took to
Congress for the FTC in 1916 has
not yet been supplemented although
funds were earmarked in q supple
mental bill to bring about q new
deal in FTC relations with business.
The extra funds permitted only the
creating Of a >salaried staff ready
to 60 when the policy was adopted
by the commissioners jointly.
As Mr.. Mason sees it, two dom.
inant PHILOSOPHERS in government
strive for ascendancy. One of these
he sees resting upon the "totalita-
rian principle Of authority by force"
and the other upon "the democratic
belief in authority of assent" In his
letter accompanying his motion and
testimony before the Senators, Mr..
Mason deplores the lack of prog
ress in Government-business re-
lations," and blanes "hit-and- miss
individual prosecutions.
This method, he says, "monop-
olizes the entire effort Of govern.
ment; none other is allowed ia
compete with It,"
He cited passage from a recent
article in Nations Business in which
he said that Government takes
university of noncompliance so
for granted that in filing complaints
little effort is made to hide the fact
that determining who shall be sued
Is like playing pin the tail on ths
donkey with everybody blindfolded.
incluoing the spectators"
Businessman Confused
mo one has challenged that
statement" he told the hearing. "Is
1t any wonder that the businessman
Is confused? 7 am inclined to think
the error Is too big for q few super.
brains in the bureaus OF Washington
to remedy. It's time industry
stopped leaning on Government for
its virtue and developed some moral
oelf-reliance of its own.
"The Federal Trade Commission
can set the pace for the protection
Of the consumer, prevention Of ex-
horbitant prices and maintenance Of
competition through this program.
or we can drag along, hiding our
failure in q busy routine Of hit-and-
miss prosecutions, winning individ.
ual legal battles but losing the CAM
paign to strengthen our economy
through common understanding and
acceptance by business Of what Is
fair In commerce.
Trade-practice conference and
cease and -desist orders both seek
one common end, namely, the elimi-
nation Of unfair methods Of COM
petition. whether 1t be discrimina-
tory pricing, Misrepresentation or
any other act subject to the scrutiny
Of the Federal Trade Commission.
Mr.. Mason refuses to believe that
ind,,strv- vida r,fles cannot he drawn