SPECIAL REPORTS FOR FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION, 85

(15) Negotiations were being conducted between the Belgian,
German, and English manufacturers of artificial Portland cement
with a view to an arrangement concerning export prices (June).
(16) International Film Convention. Was dissolved on account
of the withdrawal of the German manufacturers (January 17).
The German manufacturers desired permission to grant to film borrowers
 a special rebate of 5 per cent besides the rebate mutually
agreed upon for their products.
(17) An arrangement was considered between the European
quinine manufacturers and the producers in Java, according to which
the manufacturers would accept 500,000 kilograms (500 metric tons)
of sulphate annually for a period of five years at 0.05 florin (2.01
cents) per unit.
(18) North Atlantic Shipping Pool. =
(19) East Asian Steamship Sons. An increase of freight
rates was decided upon for April 1, but which would not go into
affect unless an agreement was reached with the outsiders. The
freight rates were raised to 2} shillings (61 cents), effective September
 1, from Europe to Japan.
(20) An agreement was considered between the Hamburg- American
Line and the Hamburg South American Steamship Co., on the one
hand, and the Booth Steamship Co. (Ltd.), of Liverpool, on the other,
relative to the trade with northern Brazil. The agreement went into
force September 1.
(21) Syndicate of the consolidated shipping lines of Antwerp for
the La Plata trade. Permits the forwarding firms of Antwerp to
forward goods by steamer of outsiders without the loss of rebates.
Lowering of freight rates (December 22).
(22) South African Pool. An understanding between the Enslish
 and the German steamship lines relative to their South and
East African business was attempted (February). The South
African Pool raised the freight rates on September 1.

COMBINATIONS OF BUYERS oF AMERICAN (GOODS. .

There are many associations of dealers and retailers in Germany,
but few, if any, of these are organized and designed for the express
purpose of controlling the sales of American goods. Bonikowsky,
in his book on “The Influence of Industrial Cartels in Germany”
(see pp. 212 et seq.), carefully explains the object and nature of the
usual combinations of dealers. He states that buyers’ associations
have been largely organized as a protection against the great manufacturing
 cartels. By buying in Ro quantities through a central
agency such associations believe that they can obtain cheaper prices.
Buyers of raw products are often organized so that they can demand
equitable prices from the producers. During the present European
war an association of cotton importers, with headquarters at Bremen,
has been organized in order to obtain American cotton at as low a
price as possible. The real difficulty with buying associations is
that they are organized after the great cartels, and consequently can
be easily disrupted. Another diffeulty has been that these associations
 can not include all the buyers in their fopaofive lines, since
many buyers prefer to buy directly or through foreign connections