Show HIJACKING THE CONSUMER president IiO roosevelt evelt dp cle serves commendation for sidetracking the alfiler tydings bill which would have marte made price maintenance agreements binding in interstate commerce says the cottage grove oregon sentinel thee the e price fixing laws wrongfully called fair iracle tra je laws extending over a number of states stated are an active threat to pin pulL chasing hISIng power they permit tho the who account for or about hait bait the cost ct an article to set the bentlie etli e price of the product the distributor wh through efficient practices keeps his cost of doing business to say 20 percent pel pei cent must charge the same minimum price as the less effi efficient chent dis ti who cannot get ills his costs below 40 per cent instances of what legalized price pric axing fixing does to the consumers pock lbook are on record for example the head of one ot of the nations leading department stores says that since the passage of a price fixing law in his state lie he has been forced to increase the retail price of 1497 trade marked items an average of 21 per cent thus if you buy those thosa items five dollars get you leas than four dollars did before the law went into effect leg idolized price fixing 1 Is just one cf the several kinds of legislation now in the limelight which directly penalizes the consumer laws laves which unfairly unla irly restrict certain kinds of merchandise rs are equally costly so are laws which penalize mer practices which make it possible to narrow the spread between wholesale and retail prices some of our states have gone on a ver veritable bitable legislative rampage against the consumer president Roosevel ts disapproval of the she miller tydings bill has temporarily pora rily eliminated the threat of national price fixing legislation states slates should follow that example and refuse to enact any law which interferes with the healthful processes of honest competition in manufacturing and retailing |