Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1957-01-25
Antitrust Drive Fails
To Benefit Public Much

Business Administration. 1t tells
how the Antitrust Division deals
with monopolists and how a
small businessman can go about
complaining If he feels he is a
victim of illegal business pres
sure. The leafiet is free from the
SBA. Washington IS. D. C. !.
1t cites several cases to show
how the division operates. The
first citation is the action against
Eastman-which. in a curious
bit of syhness, the SBA does not
name. Eastman had insisted on
processing its own color film
and this kept small businesses
out Of the processing field.
Results Of Case
The leaflet says, by a con-
sent decree the company was
subsequently barred from includ-
ing any charge for processing in
its price for color film and was
required to reduce its virtual
100 per cent share of color-film
processing business to so per
cent in five years" It was re-
CURED also to license others to
use its processing technology
and to help them set up in COM
petition.
The decree, the SBA adds,
opened up an entirely new field
Of business for professors. photo
finishers and drugstores. Since
the amateur color processing
and printing business is esti-
mated at about 500 million a
year and the use Of color film is
said to be increasing at the rate
Of 5 per cent each year, this
judgment represents a sizable
potentional volume of business
to the many Arms which can
now enter the field"
There is not a word about
how this affects the public.
Before the decree, the photog-
rapher bought film and process
ing in one transaction. He paid
for everything when he bought
the film. After he shot it he
mailed it to Eastman in a bag
that came with the film and in a
few days got back the finished
work. Now. after buying and
shooting the film, he must re-
turn to the store once to leave
1t for developing and again to
get the finished work. He can
arrange to use the mails in
stead. but must expect to pay
more for such service.
Other Faults
One of the immediate results
of the decree was to make film
plus processing more expensive.
The total Of the two payments
came to a dime more than the
old Eastman single price.
Meanwhile, despite the Gov
ernment's statement. drug stores
have benefited little if at all.
Before the decree. they made
profit on, each sale of film. and
a neat little profit it was. too.
Now they make a profit on the
Aim and a commission on the
developing work. For this the
store must carry on two or three
instead of one.
At first. where they could get
a good commission arrangement,
the stores could increase their
profits slightly. But since then,
Eastman ceased fixing retail
prices Of its products and price,
cutting has trimmed the profits
Of drug stores and other film
stations.
Some amateurs have COM
planned that new professors do
not do as good work as Eastman
Toes. However, this should be
cleared UP. since Eastman is UNI
der orders to supply them with
technical guidance.
In fact. eventually the inde-
pendents may improve on East
man, developing more natural
colors, increasing sharpness and
reducing costs. Meanwhile, the
amateur is paying for it in extra
costs and trouble.
Mcclure Newspaper syndicate)