1 1
1
THE BEE: OMAHA. WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 8, 1920.
t '
Charge Big
Profits in
War Trade
Federal Commission Brands
Implement Manufacturers as
- Profiteering Trust in Re
. port to the Senate.
By ARTHUR SEARS HENNING.
Chicago Trlbune-Omnha, Be Leastd Wire.
Washington, Sept. 7. The Inter
national Harvester company of
America and other big mar.ufactur
ers of farm implements, together
with farm implement dealers: were
i branded a gigantic profiteering trust
in a report .by the federal trade com
mission made public today.
In an investigation ordered by the
si-rate the commission found that
f'c inaijufacturersand dealers fixed
p.vilui' ijig prices by mutual under
standings :n restraint of trade and
that "the dish-'!tt:;n of -the Interna
tional Harvester company, nego
tiated by Attorney General Gregory,
is a sham.
The commission's formal recom
mendations, which will be trans
mitted to the Department of Justice
are:
a t Advise Court Action.
"The commission believes that
judicial proceedings should be insti
tuted against associations who have
been active in restraining trade in
tf..i farm implement industry.
"The commission alsd believes thai
the International Harvester case
should be-reopened as provided for
in the final- decree, so that It plarr of
dissolution be arrived at that will re
store competitive conditions in the
harvesting machine business."
Conclusions or the inquiry, as set
forth by the commission, follow:
. "Farm implement manufacturers
and dealers by concerted action ad
vanced prices in 1917 and 1918 by
amounts that were larger than were
warranted by the increase in their
.costs and expenses, and this resulted
in unusually large profits for thote
years.
"In spite of the great increase in
farm implements prices, the farmers
were not prevented from making as
' much profit as before because the
prices of farm products increased to
an ever greater extent.
f f Dissolution Not Complete.
"The partial dissolution of the In
ternational Harvester company in
1918 did jot change the dominating
position of that company in the har
vesting machinery line and will not
do so while the McCormick and
Dcering p!4nts and the steel busi
ness remain united tinder its control
cither directly or by common own
ership of stock."
The commission nnas mat manu
facturers', prices of farm implements
to dealers increased 82 per cent dur
Aing the psriod 1916 to 1918, while
'dealers' prices to farmers increased
62 per 'cent and says there was no
genera! shortage in fhe supply of
farm implements, nor was there any
.unusual demand, especially because
i of: the decrease in the number of
machines exported and of the more
.extensive repairing of old machines
to meet the increase, in domestic re
quirements, i '
.How the; alleged price boosts were
brought' about by comttrted action
of the manufacturers ami, the deal
'ers is thus described by the com
mission: "Practically all important manu
facturers of farm implements are
members pf the National Implement
arid Vehicle association, wlrlch was
formed in 1911 by the, union of sev
eral existing farm implement asso
ciations.. '-'. '
"Under cover of bringing about
uniform cost accounting, uniform
terms of sale and standardization
of product, the manufacturers who
are members of these associations
repeatedly advanced prices of farm
implements by concected action dur
ing the period 1916 to 1918, inclusive.
"The association received assist
ance in maintaining orices after the
armistice from the implement trade
journals and from the Agricultural
' Publishers' association, an organiza
tion of farm papers. ' ,
Manufacturers Deny
" Commission Charges
i
By The Associated Press.
Clicago. Sept. , 7. Stateents is
sued by the International Harvester
company ' and the National Imple
ment and Vehicle association in re
ply to the report of the federal trade
commission denied that either or
ganization has at any time attempted
Iv fix or maintain prices. j
The International Harvest com
pany s statement signed oy iyrus,
H. McLormick, chairman- ot its
board of directors, said:
"It should be noted that the re
port does not find prices or profits
in the farm implement industry ex
cessive, exorbitant or unreasonable,
yet the commission's figures on man
ufacturers' profits greatly exceed
this company's net earnings.
"The commission might well have
added in its report that if farmers
were allowed th same rate of com
pensation per hour for labor of
themselves and of their, families that
Duck Season
Opens Sept. 16
BE PREPARED
' Guns, Ammunition
Hunting (jlothing :
Complete Store
THE
rp THE
TownsenD
GUN CO.
15U Firun St
PARKER'S r
HAIR BALSAM -
'MDsadnff-stopsiuirrauiat
Kaatar Color mi
via Gravani Fad4 Hair
I HA
the manufacturers pay for the pro
duction of farm implements it would
be evident that the farmer. needs all
of the advanced price on .farm prod
ucts in order to make a-decent liv?
ing. v The advance in prices in both
cases is due to causes beyond the
farmers' or the manufacturers' con
trol. . '
"The harvester company has never
colluded with any competitor in fix
ing or maintaining prices."
The statement from the National
Implement and V chicle association
which claims to represent 90 per
cent of the producers of farm im
plements in the country, declared the
report was an "unwarranted attack
on, a conservative and vital indus
try." It added:
"The commission's figures' on
profits are sadly misleading. It does
not include as proper charges against
profits income or excess profits
taxes, interest on borrowed money
or cash discounts allowed. Figuring
in these items, the net profit of. farm
implement manufacturers was less
titan 10 per cent-on capital stock
invested, not counting out paper
profits due to advances in unsold
inventory. This association has
never participated- in any price fix
ing attempt in the farm implement
industry."
Veddinrf Rehearsal
Halted Whctk Copper
Takes the Bridegroom
Clilrngo Tribunr-OnilUiu Ilea I-tastd Wirt.
Chicago, Sept. 7. Owen T.
Johnson an X-Ray expert, was to
!iave been married Monday to
Miss Rose Vaughn, but the bride
groom's divorced wife, Mrs Jose
phine Johnson, of Indianapolis,
stepped iniand stopped the pro
ceedings. As a resuli Johnson oc
cupies a cell at the Warren avenue
police station charged with wife
and child abandoning nt., "V
somebody double-crossed me
and sent, an invitation I sent them
to mv divorced wife," said John
son, "and then she blows in with
a con and gets mm to drag me
away. I don't know why she
should do it' only out of pure
cussedness.
"I think he should be forced
to Mipport mc ad our sJt before
be takes a new witc," said Mrs.
Johnson. Ile deserted mc seven
vcars ago. Last vcar I got a di-
vorse, but no alimony."
Former Bee Writer
'Covering' Red War
A. M. Easterling, Once Omaha
Reporter, Now in Russia
for Associated Press.
i
A. M.
of the editorial staff, of The Omaha
l'.oe and prominent newspaper nmi
cf the state, now is ;' T '"
sia, 200 miles west of Minsk, "cover-
one phase of the bolshevist
war, for The Associated
ng
I'ole
!.'iess, according to an announce
:n:it made today in the monthly
service j bulletin of the Associated
1'ress. ' . , '
The bulletin says:
1 "A. M. Easterling, recently front
Chicago and then from London and
Berlin offices, has sent a number of
dispatclresvfrom AUenstein and Jo
nannisburg. When the bolshevist
drew up at the G;rman frontier he
Easterling. former member left east Prussia and crossed into
Missia. He was first heard from at
Ko.no, whitcher he pushed further'
into the interior as far as Lomsha,
200 miles west of Minsk, meanwhile
keeping up communication with the
iVar and getting in touch With offi
cials of the bolsjievist regime." '
Easterling joined the staff of The
Associated Press shortly before the
war and after a short time in the
Omaha office was transferred to the
Chicago office. Following his re
turn from service with the Amer
ican army he again joined The As
sociated Press and was transferred
to Galveston, Tex., from which place
he was transferred overseas, first to
the London bureau of The Asso
ciated Press and thence-to the Ber
lin office. j
Be Want" Ads Bring Remits! '
Omaha Boy Held Vfum
Arrival at Glen wood
G'cnwood, Hk.Scpt. 7? Special.)
A boy giving his name and address
as Melvin Sheldon, 11, 015 North
Twentieth street, Omaha, Neb., who
arrived in Glcnwood by horse and
buggy at 6 o'clock last night, is being
held by authorities here until his
relatives can be notified.
According to the boy, lie took the
horse and buggy at l'lattsmouth,
after having reached there by train
from Omaha yesterday afternoon,
lie said that he had left home with
57 cents' and was endeavoring to
get to Tabor, la. " , :
The lad was well dressed, wearing ,
a light waist, dark trousers and
black shoes and stockings. One , :
eye is said to be slightly defective.
Reopen Wage Scale
Sheridan, Wyo.Scpt. 6. Reopen
ing the wage scale signed a month' !,
ago by operators and coal miners of
northern Wyoming, is expecfed at
meeting to be held in Billings, Mont.,
next Wednesday.
Bee Want
Getters.
Ads Are Best Business
NEW YORK
SIOUX CITY
LINCOLN
OMAHA
Miners Walk Out.
Virginia City, Nev., Sept. 7.
When their request for an increase
of $1 a day in waes, making the
scale for miners and topmcn $6 a
shift, was denied, about 350 miners
working in the Virginia City mines
walked out.
Stunt Flyer Killed.
Detroit, Sept. 7. Mjiron L. Tin
ner, former army aviator, fell 500
feet to his death Monday while per
forming aerial acrobatics at the state
fair grounds.
In an attempt to catch a rope lad
der, on which he was to climb front
one plane td another flying above
him, he missed his hold and plunged
from the top of his machine.
CONANT HOTEL'
BUILDING,
SIXTEENTH
STREET
OUR ANNUAL
Baby Grand' jSPET
, Week at VyW
i Oakford mMm
Music Co
aTaTa-
Sepiemm
net
ales
Fpr several weeks we have been preparing for this annual September sale, securing thousands of dollars'
:orth of the newest Fall merchandise, specially priced to afford an opportunity at the very beginning of the sea-
wor
son for you to supply your Fall needs at great savings.
-4.;. V
Beautiful Acu) .
Baby Grands of
Quality
C OCf and
up
Easy Payments.
Just now we are showing extra fine values in Baby
. Grand Pianos. Our stock contains the ,
Steinway Baby Grands
Kurtzmann Baby Grandl ,
Weber Baby Grands -
Steele Baby Grands -
Cabte Baby Grands,- Etc.
While here ask also to hear the beautiful new - '
Steinway Duo Art Vertegrand and the
Wheelock Upright Duo Art Reproducing
ftanos Just Received.
Renvamber we are the only one-price, .no-commisslpn
piano company in Nebraska and western" Iowa. Inves-i.;
tigate the Oakford Plan, it will save you $75 to $150 on !
a piano. ' . ; - v
"1807 Farnam, Omaha, Neb.
New
Fall
In the Most Approved Modes--
Boughfimecttly . under priced
for Our September Sales
$3950
to
$gQ50
-
Silvertones
s ; , . Velours
" , Tricotines Goldtones -,
Boiret Twills ,
-I - ' ' V , :
Extremely attractive are these new models in all the new pheasant
browns and lovely blues,' as well as the regular desired navy and black in
cluding many fur-trimmed models. I.-'-' V '
SUIT SECTION SECOND FLo6r
, Thaa. F. Otlr
President
CHICAGO, ILL.
DON'T BELIEVE IT
Every claim thatM ever made for Fullerton Paint it TRUE
but don't believe It demand the written insurance policy
it's your unconditional guarantee' that Fullerton Paint will
t'lrt 5 years $trrice.
You don't (pend money when you buy Fullerton you actu
ally Te it because Fullerton is the life-paint thaf protects
buildin(S from decay and depreciation. You add to the value
of your property by adding; Fullerton Paint to the surface.
- . . , ". .
SILK-TONE "TheBeautiful" is a particular walMinish for
particular- people. BEAUTIFUL because it combines the
soft, rich effects of water colors with the smooth, sanitary
surface of enamel. SANITARY because it washes as clean
and easy as the dishes from which you eat.- DURABLE be
cause it's made from high grade materials and scientifically
prepared for long wear.
Distributed and Retailed by
MULLIN PAINT CO., 313 So. fourteenth St.
Retailed by f
C C
I ' ; V
....... ;V New-
' . . .
; ' '
irv
ur esses s
New in Mode - - Exceptional in Value--
Specially Purchased and Priced foj: September Sales
to
Silk Duvetyns Serges Velokr deLdines
Checked-Velours Beaded Tricotines
" Charmeuse Satins' Velvets' v
In every desired shade and style -' ' 1
; DRESS SECTION-SECOND FLOOR . V v
Fa
Bio
, -
Lovely Designs in v
Chinchilla Satin
Kitten' s Ear Satin
.. .
Charmeuse and Georgette
uses
Specially Pur biased 'and Specially Priced .
for Our September Sales 1
$1250
to
BLOUSE SECTION,MAIN FLOOR
$3950
In Every
New Fall
. Color, t
1
4,
1
4)
4
(
f
-r)
niTurfiiitVlftrfrii
a -
v