Evening star., 1962-04-16
Senate TO Get
Series otBiIIs
Aimed at Steel
BY the Associated Press

Dy FTeSluclL heHneQy against
Steel'S S6-a-ton increase was
still rolling, although the price
increase was rescinded on
Friday.
The battles aftermath found
the stock market at a 1862 low,
Mr.. Kennedy'S prestige at a
new nigh and the prospects for
his whole legislative program
considered suddenly brighter.
Pressing ahead with its an
nounced anti-monoply inves-
tigation. the Senate Antitrust
Subcommittee. headed by Sem
ator Kefauver, Democrat of
Tennessee. wrote subpoenas
for the IL top companies to
bring in figures on production
by mid-May.
Gore Prepares Bills
simultaneously, Senator
Gore. Democrat of Tennessee,
prepared to introduce today
three bills, one of which is de-
signed to sharpen the teeth of
the antitrust laws.
/ Senator Gore said the need
for better protection of the
public was proved by this
whole episode in which the
steel companies made almost
uniform price increases and
then rescinded them"
/ His bills would not have been
given an outside chance of pas
sage a week ago. Now they
must be regarded seriously. es-
pecially since Democratic legis-
lators can be expected to capi-
talize on the so-called mo-
nopoly issue in this campaign
year.
The three Gore measures
would:
/ /. Give the President power
under the Taft-Hartley law to
obtain an 80-day Injunction
against a general price increase
in a basic commodity. The pro-
cedure would be parallel to the
cooling off period provided for
national emergency" strikes.
2. Create a national con-
sumers advisory board. 1t would
not have binding power but, in
a fact-finders' role, could mus
ter public opinion against in
creases it deemed unjuStified.
3. Broaden the anti-merger
laws, so that the same legal
yardstick could be used to
break up existing large con-
centrationS" as is now used to
prevent certain proposed in
dustrial mergers.
No companies we're named.
but the third bill was plainly
pointed at u. S. Steel. the
Nations biggest producer and
the one whose announcement
last Tuesday of a price rise
touched off. as in the past. a
parade of virtually identical
increases by other firms.
Attorney General Robert F.
Kennedy had put the finger
on U. 8. Steel last week. In
discussing the questions being
explored by the Justice Depart
ment, he said one was whether
lone company. namely U. S.
Steel, so dominates the in
dustry that it controls prices
and should be broken up"
AS the Sherman and Clayton
antitrust laws now stand, the
legal requirements for diSmem-
bering an existing corporation
are much more difficult than
those for preventing a merger
that might tend to create a
monopoly.
Senator Cores proposal, as
he explained it. would make the
latter requirements applicable
in cases in which the Govern
ment seeks to force a split-up
of a corporation that already
has acquired monopolistic
power.
No RepriSals
The Presidents closest advis-
ers said he wants no reprisals
and hopes to preserve the good
will and cooperation of busi-
ness generally. Still, the ad-
miniStration was following
through with the measures it
set in motion to quash the steel
price increase.
The Justice Department was
pressing ahead with the Fed
eral grand jury investigation III
New York, which Attorney
General Kennedy ordered last
Wednesday.
A multi-million-do order
for high-grade steel, which
normally would have been di-
vided between Lukens Steel Co.
Of Coatesville. Pa, and U. S.
Steel, apparently will go wholly
to Lukens. U. S. Steel was
crossed off after it's price rise,
and the Pentagon has made no
move to change the decision.
The investigation ordered by
the House Anti-monopoly Sub
committee, headed by Repre-
sentative Celler, Democrat of
New York, also was scheduled