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Show bis view won BY TRUTH SEEKERS "Fraud Order" Just Issued 1 by Postoffice Department Will Be Boon. BUYER IS GUARDED And Makers of Good Warea Are Congratulating Selves , on New Order. WASHINGTON", Aug. 19. In making mak-ing effective a fraud order denying the use of the United States mails to the International Automobile league, inc., and the International Automobile League T'yti company of Buffalo, N. Y., and A. C. Bidwell, president of both concerns, con-cerns, the postoffice department has sounded the death knell of enterprises whieh government investigations show have victimized thousands of motor car owners in all parts of the country. ''For years this league has been using us-ing the mails to obtain money by false representations and pretenses from automobile au-tomobile owners, dealers and jobbers of automobile supplies," said W. H. Lamar, soli.' i tor general of the postoffice department, de-partment, today. "The order, which takes effect today, concludes one of the longest and most important hearings ever held by this office. The hearing occupied forty-six days and revealed a remarkable ' complexity and variety of unlawful practices employed by the president of tiie league and his agents m exploiting the public.''' The inquiry by the postoffice department depart-ment into the business practices or the International Automobile league was requested re-quested last March bv the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World and the American Automobile association to protect pro-tect motor car owners as a part of the nation-wide campaign of the advertising clubs for truth m advertising and honesty hon-esty in business. Details of the Scheme. The facts disclosed by the government govern-ment 's investigations, made public today, to-day, reveal an elaborate scheme which has enabled Bid well, as president of the ("International Automobile league," to amass a huge fortune. It is shown that he employed agents who solicited members mem-bers i or ' tho league, representing that the league had contracts with manufacturers manufac-turers of standard automobile tires and accessories which enabled it to sell members mem-bers such articles at dealers' and manufacturers' manu-facturers' prices. The manufacturers of these products testified that no auch contracts existed. Through its agents, the league also represented that it could sell certain cars to its members at liberal lib-eral discounts. The manufacturers of these cars told the government that the league could not obtain the cars to sell at such discounts. To impress car owners own-ers with the league's buying power, agents are said to have greatly exaggerated exag-gerated the Dumber of its members. Substitution of Cheap Stuff. It is revealed by the inquiry of the department that alleged 1 ' manufacturers manufactur-ers ' prices " ' on standard automobile tires and supplies were advertised mere-; mere-; Iv as bait, to secure a $10 annual fee from members to whom the league might i (Continued on Following Fage) BIG VICTORY WOn BY TRUTH SEEKERS (Continued from Preceding Page.) sell inferior tires and supplies at a stiff1 profit. League members testified that when they endeavored to realize the big savings promised by the prices listed on standard articles they were informed that the . league -was ' ' just out, ' ' but that an excellent article manufactured especially for the league could be supplied sup-plied in place of the one ordered. When members complained, they were referred to a clause iu the membership contract which specified that goods listed would be furnished when obtainable. "Crystal oil'5 was a lubricant listed in " the league's catalogue as being of "exceptional "excep-tional quality.'7 Government investigation investiga-tion showed that this oil came out of the same barrel from which orders were filled for a cheaper grade. ! Members testified that five or six ; ! years after they had paid their initial : '$10 annual fee to the league an attempt was made to collect $10 for each of these years, on the strength of a clause iu the application making membership perpetuating unless resignation was filed by registered mail sixtv days before the ' expiration of the membership yearv Evidence Evi-dence showed that membership in the league carried no privileges except that of buying tires find other supplies from it at "prices fixed by Bidwell, the presi-1 dent. Scheme's Gigantic Operations. It is shown bv the official inquiry that about $200,000 w-orth of stock in the "International Automobile League Tire company" has beon sold through-Out through-Out the country on representations that stockholders would be able to buy their tires from the company at factory cost and would receive enormous dividends because of the market provided by the league's membership. Not only was the number of league members greatly exaggerated ex-aggerated in the representations made to sell this stock, the official inquiry revealed, but evidence also showed that the tire company had never built nor operated a factory, nor done business or any kind since its organization iu the state of California in 1912. The inquiry revealed wh;i the official fraud order characterizes as ' 'illegal and unconsciou- I ' : able" expense charges of more than $250,000 placed agaiust the tire company com-pany by its president, Bidwell. It also shows that money was obtained from jobbers through a contract sold to them, j which purported to enable them to obtain ob-tain from Bidwell standard tires at manufacturers' prices, but which actnal-Iv actnal-Iv bound Bidwell to furnish such tires dnlv when obtainable. These contracts, it s shown, were sold to jobbers for prices varying from $ 1 00 to $1000. In addition to the action against him taken by the postal authorities, Bidwell has been indicted by the federal grand jury at Rochester, rf. Y., charged with using the mails to further a scheme to defraud, and by the grand jury of Fayette Fay-ette county, Pa., with two of his agents, on a charge of conspiracy to defraud. Vigilance Committee. Merle Sidener of Indianapolis, chairman chair-man of the national vigilance committee commit-tee of the Associated Advertising Clubs of the "World, which requested the investigation, in-vestigation, today sent the solicitor general gen-eral the following telegram: "In the name of the Associated Advertising Ad-vertising Clubs of the World and honest hon-est business, I want to thank you and your associates for the incalculable service ser-vice which the postoffice department has rendered the public in closing the mails to the Internationa) Automobile league of Buffalo. The advertising clubs look ; upon the postoffice department as their strongest and most agg-ressive ally in their determined campaign for truth in advertising and honesty in selling7 |