| Show Bru bruckart charts washington digest digesi harass business with suits while seeking its operation cooperation co n one government agency presses litigation against 0 industry while others urge it to get ready for wartime production lollypops Lolly pops being investigated by WILLIAM BRUCKART service national press washington D 0 washington there were two news stories emanating from cial sources here recently that seemed to emphasize an unusual contradictory situation that obtains in hi present national government policies one ot of the stories had to do with a projected expansion ot of our military services representative vinson ot of georgia Is prepared to ask congress at its next session bession to spend an additional on our navy other house leaders are su submitting an army expansion program that will cost a record break ing now no one can deny the imbor tance of national defense they may differ as to how much of a structure Is required but not as to the prin ciple it always Is well to remember that few nations or individuals pick a fight when they know they are due to meet real trouble which Is to say that a strong army and navy are essential to peace these two announcements concerning military plans were made known on different days it so happened that on the day that the army program was given to the newspapers the department of justice was distributing a statement telling of what it believed to be a great victory in court over a corporation that story concerned the antitrust anti trust action against the aluminum company of america the department lawyers were obviously in high glee because a new york judge had admitted some 36 documents into evidence in the proceeding mention mendon w was as not made that the judge had rejected something like other documents or exhibits as they hey were called but much glory was claimed for the governments side it Is not tor for me to say whether the gigantic aluminum company h has as violated a law that is 07 the function of the court the thing that I 1 object to is the apparent role of the government lawyers in Us this and numerous others other proceedings their attitude Is almost the same as though they were e engaged la in private litigation instead of serving and seeking justice in behalf of all ol of the people it is an attitude attitude that is dangerously near to persecution rather than prosecution and it is wrong business being harassed by whole flock of suits the announcement regarding the aluminum trial recalled that there were a whole flock of other suits being pressed against nearly every kind of business in the nation the department of justice seems to be trying to get some kind of a record in its efforts to harass business and this is not surprising when one considers that thurmand arnold the former professor is guiding this policy and that attorney general frank murphy is more of a crusader than even the late theodore roosevelt thus upon examination I 1 found that th at there were some 25 or more pr proceedings ings being pushed by the government actions that may be called major litigation in that they involve some gome of the main units of american industry I 1 have no in of offering a defense tor for any of them because I 1 do not know the facts it is however sign significant ift that these actions are going forward from one governmental agency while other ather groups are calling upon american business to make itself ready tor for wartime production in event of need it will be recalled how president roosevelt told a press conference not so long ago that there were raids being conducted on our war resources by some come foreign powers power that is material usable in war was being bought here and there was little control of these purchases hasea by our military services whether this condition brought about the creation of a control board within the army and navy I 1 do not know it Is I 1 nevertheless a fact that the e control board soon loon wis was created and purchasing missions mission from england and france have to consult with that board long range planning for war reserves proceeding mention should be made in this connection of the frequent statements from official sources of the long range planning tor for war re serves that has been going on this program has been in process of development since 1921 but it obviously has taken on new impetus since cince fire broke out in europe business has been advised repeatedly and in various ways that it roust must consider itself at the beck and call of its government in event of war and that is thoroughly sound but how bow I 1 wonder tonder can these two things go hand band and hand how can business be encouraged cou raged to make itself ready in case of national emergency and go about that job wholeheartedly whilo the tame some govern government menk supposed to be operating as a unit is attacking and seeking to destroy the very machin cry which the national defense requires even demands I 1 used the aluminum cc company only as an illustration and it happens to be a good one there th ere are something like 50 army officers concerned with inspection consultation guidance in the various plants of the aluminum company there are dozens more yes several hundreds of army officers and naval officers doing like work in scores of other great manufacturing plants you can see them crawling all over skeletons tong of ships Id in shipyards they have to make inspections to make sure the specifications are met they are to be found in experimental laboratories using private funds and private facilities for tests looking to improvement of the various things used in war all of which Is fine it is a operation cooperation co business ought to give but again there is posed that question of how can government get all of these things done while a group of theorists paid by the same taxpayers devote their time to prosecution cution of the most flimsy interpretation of law viol violations when I 1 was digging around on the list of pending government prosecutions I 1 found the so called big three ford chrysler Chrysl cr and general motors in the automobile field were being prosecuted for alleged violation of antitrust laws in automobile installment financing upon what surely is a i strange basis badts when the suit was started it was simply a charge of unfair competition in the matter of financing the thing has simmered down now however anc the issue actually is whether it is violation of law for using methods of financing installment buyers in a manner that results in less cusp cosi to the buyer hold its is wrong to f 0 provide for cheap auto financing that is to say the present issue is whether it is a violation of law to set means of cheap financing from all of the facts I 1 have been able to gather our government through its department of justice actually is asserting in court thit that it is wrong tor for the automotive companies to main ta tain in financing corporations which will result tn in a saving to the purchasers of motor cars it if that is not then I 1 have vp a mentality one ought not pass over the tern tem horary national economic committee which has been sitting oft off and on for or more than a year the committee is supposed to the be leading the way to a new national economic policy a new method of doing business in the united states it may but I 1 doubt doub tit it thus thud far about the most tangible results certainly the most important eff effect act of the investigation vesti gation gatton and hea hearings is the ol 01 opportunity port unity that has been accorded government theorists to expound their ideas for them it has been a great opportunity dozens of them have been able for the first time in their lives to see their opinions set down in printed form in the committee record of the hearings of course in referring to the T N EC one surely ought to call attention to the great number of witnesses from commerce and industry and the go gouging aging and sniping of them that has been going on by a group of thinkers who serve as lawyers for the committee one ought to mention also to the half baked testimony presented in a number of instances by witnesses whose chief gripe seemed to be that they or their businesses were not making money lastly reference should be made to the effort that has been made throughout the hearings bearings to discredit every line of business that has grown big lollipop lollypop lolly pop industry Actual actually lj I 1 Is isander under investigation I 1 i have no way of knowing what the govern government mentis is spending pending in hi all of these trials and investigations nor is it possible to know what the cost to business has been the T TN N 4 C has had bad half a million dollars and it will get some gome more the department of justice has been hiring lawyers by the bagnull the federal trade commission likewise has been jurn jumping ping onto business practices from great industries like steel and cement on through the list to the manufacturers of lollypops lolly pops dont laugh at that last one the lollypop lollipop lolly pop industry actually Is under investigation for some ofil official cial believes that there Is ia a large monopoly of but boname to name a few others among the nations industries that eager government prosecutors aye are using to make reputations for themselves as ai lawyers we find these milk oil steel building material in all phases sulphur rubber glass motion pictures telegraph telephone of all kinds food distributors tobacco insurance typewriters and trade associations the tha effort tc show that hat medical doctors are an tradesmen and subject to the anti trust laws also should be included |
