440 REPORT ON COOPERATION IN AMERICAN EXPORT TRADE.

dise, have their dull periods. During these periods the export business would
be very welcome; but we do not believe that the export business would be
more desirable than the domestic.
Public sentiment and a desire to comply with the law would prevent.—There
 are some who maintain that public sentiment and the
desire to comply with the law would prevent such organizations
from attempting to restrain trade. To some extent this is in opposition
 to the views of those who believe that it is human nature for
such organizations to attempt to restrain trade in the domestic
market.
Thus, a journalist, who has made a study of trade conditions
abroad, said:
Public sentiment and the desire of the manufacturers to be in accord with it
would have a moral influence in restraining any tendency of this kind.
A producer of structural steel wrote:
Cooperative organizations would likely be composed of established manufacturers
 and producers, and it is not believed that the wisdom of the members
would permit such a breach as restraint of trade in domestic commerce. Besides,
 American manufacturers, not joining in the export organization, would
be sufficiently alert to expose and disparage such action if attempted.
Another respondent, who is a member of several cooperative associations,
 stated:

It [restraint of trade] would be a violation of the law. A vast majority of
business men are honest and law-abiding, and realize that they are suffering
to-day for the misdoings of a few. They know that relief from present conditions
 of destructive competition, which is making for monopoly, must come
through cooperation ; that any cooperation affecting prices is now illegal. Their
sole hope of relief lies in whole-hearted cooperation with the Federal Government.
 Any act which would in the slightest degree retard the growing confldence
 between the Federal Government and business men and renew the mutual
suspicion which, so long, existed would be suicidal.
No greater danger than from present organizations.—It is contended
 that such export organizations, if permitted, would have no
more power in the direction of restraint of domestic trade than
present large combinations already have. This is in answer to the
contention that any large combination, in itself, menaces domestic
trade. . .
A manufacturer of steam and ail separators said:

We do not believe that such an organization would necessarily be used to
restrain trade in the domestic markets. The organizations would, certainly,
tend to promote friendly feeling between competitors, if competitors were
allowed in the same organization; but with the numerous organizations, at
present, in the country where competitors meet to discuss their mutual interests,
 everything can be accomplished that could be accomplished in such a
combination.

A manufacturer of tools wrote:

Trade in the domestic market is now under the control of a comparatively
few. combinations of capital, and we do not believe any combination could affect
the existing conditions in our country, except as the tendency is toward bigger
and still bigger business,
Intimate relationships established would not tend to restrain domestic
 trade—In answer to the argument that close relations necessarily
 established between the various members of these export organizations
 would naturally lead them to get together to discuss trade