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Show PRICE-FIXING GOES. The recent decision of the presi-!i presi-!i i t to abandon price-fixing features of come major industrial codes is of exctptlOQft importance. It stems from the growing belief that psfCO-fbdl g is inimical to the r mnii-r and the small business man. The Darrow report, which was tremendously tre-mendously publicized, concentrated attention on that. There may be much to be said for price-fixing, used as a weapon to diminnte destructive and wasteful competition. But there is grave doubt if the American people could ever be fa ogghf to stand for it. Free competition, competi-tion, with each unit within an industry indus-try striving to give better service at more reasonable price, is part of the American business tradition. When the president started the attempt at-tempt to fix prices, he intimated that it was purely experimental Ke is to be congratulated on making a change when he saw that it would not work ns hoped. A poll made by Fortune among executives of our principal industries produces the, fact that 85 per cent of thsm believe that the main beneficial results of the NRA codes lie in their wage and working provisions that great gains In this direction have been made, and that they should not be lot. That is certainly a progressive attitude, and now that price-fixing is to be ended, the labor features are again preeminent. The American people, peo-ple, as always, want labor to be nmply paid and protected but they do not want revolutionary changes made In our time-honored governmental govern-mental or industrial scheme of things. |