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Show ThC The Paper That Dares T Take A Stand December 7, 1972 The UTAH INDEPENDENT PaRe 2 Kl Independent QD Dedicated To I The Constitution, Liberty, Morality, and Truth Free men can vote themselves into slavery, but slaves cannot vote themselves free." J. Reese Hunter EditorVDtotjook Big Uses Business Government Against Competitors Big business has learned how to effectively use the government to knock out competition. When it finds itself getting into trouble it simply gets to the state legislature or national congress and has safety laws, or some such thing passed, which is supposed to help the public. In many cases, it does appear that the public will be helped. For instance, a case in point is the current Flammability Standards Act which is supposed to insure that citizens can smoke in bed without burning themselves or others. It is all right in theory. However, in practice it is thought out and administered in such a way that the independent mattress manufacturers will be severely curtailed in their businesses if not entirely eliminated. The National Association of Bedding Manufacturers is not much help to the independents. The NABMs Flammability Standards Committee is made up of nine men, most of whom represent the bigger multi-placompanies. They are the ones who apparently advised the government in what type of testing standards should be applied in testing the flammability of mattresses. When this new law goes into effect in June, 1973, it is estimated the stock in the bigger companies will go up. For example, a stock report dated November 28, 1972 from Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith, Inc., states: Two trends in the bedding industry should improve Simmons position relative to its small competitors, strict new flammability regulations and the growth of large organizations in the retailing of bedding .... Simmons has an advantage over its small regional bedding competitors in complying with the new Flammability Regulations and in minimizing the costs per unit sales associated with compliance. The actions of the nine men on the NABM Standards Commute has aroused the ire of many independent mattress manufacturers. They can see how the government has been used as the element of force to get them out of the mattress manufacturing business. It appears they may band together to form some kind of strength against their competitors who are but to do them in by using the government. Actually, the small, independent manufacturer is not opposed to standards and fireproofing mattresses. The nt First The Good News technical know-ho- w is available. What he is opposed to are methods required for testing the mattresses. This, and this alone will cost him thousands of dollars to implement. He claims this is totally unnecessary since the material of which the mattresses is composed could be fireprofed in the first place thus doing away with the requirement of testing them after being assembled. The small manufacturer points out that he is only an assembler. He takes the materials available and assembles them into a usable product. His argument is those materials could be fireproofed at much less cost before they are assembled. The consumer would be protected at much less cost and needless testing. That way, the burden of cost would be shared by all equally without giving the big, multiplant operations an unfair advantage over the smaller independent plants. The Utah Independent calls upon its readers to write to their Congressmen and Senators and demand that this onerous provision of the law be replaced with the requirement that the substances making up the mattress be first tested for fireproofing. This will insure fairness for all and the cost of mattresses will rise little compared to what it could be. Utahs own Senator Frank Moss is a member of the Department of Commerce Committee of the U.S. Senate. Write to him and other members of Congress as well. This Is One Protester They Had Darn Well Better Listen To! Readers yflook Sheriff Cites Utah Independent Dear Editor: Today 1 received a copy of the Utah Independent which was dated November 30, 1972. I read your article entitled, Salt Lake County Police Under Attack and also Police Brutality your editorial Against Police. There have been many articles written in local newspapers and news releases made on television stations regarding the Croom affair and the allegation by seven inmates that another inmate was not afforded ' proper medical attention. At this time I want to commend you as a newspaperman for writing an article which reported the facts in the above two cases as they existed. You and Bob Salter of KSXX were the only newsmen who were interested in obtaining and reporting the true facts. I sincerely appreciate this factual reporting in the Utah Independent. Sincerely, Delmar L. Larson Sheriff, Salt Lake County Reader Likes Letter Independent . 4 r by the Utah Independent each Friday at 1399 South 7th East, Suite 9, Salt Lake City, Utah 84105. Yearly subscription rate is $5.00 per year by surface mail in the United States. The Utah is Independent published Send change of address forms and correspondence to 2459 Major Street, Salt Lake City, Utah 84115 Utah's Largest and Fastest-Growin- g Subscription Weekly Editor: ' i just want to congratulate Jack Porter of El Monte, California for his well written letter to Readers Outlook captioned, Upside Down Flag Means Distress." What I can't understand is why won't the younger generation believe all the succinct things he said? I Mrs. Josephine Grodel,. Toledo, Ohio Continued on Page 3 . ; |