REPLIES TO CARD AND SCHEDULE INQUIRIES. 4417

A lawyer said:

The law shouid define the limits of all such combinations for export; all
agreements thereunder and methods of business should be open to the Federal
Trade Commission, or a special bureau thereof, and possibly subject to its veto.
{f the secret combinations or the abuses of combinations can be done away
with, the chief danger to the public disappears.
Publicity. —Many of those replying advocated that the charters of
these export organizations should be filed Vith some branch of the
Government. These suggestions were often coupled with the idea
that the activities of the organization should be open to inquiry and
more or less subject to the approval of the Government. The following
 are typical of some of the suggestions received.
From an attorney:

The articles of agreement and purposes of the association should be required
to be made a public record in the form of a report to a Federal public-service
commission. Such commission or board should have limited authority to
supervise the association and prevent its use in restraint of domestic trade,
or to recommend action by some court given power to punish for illegal practices
 by the organization.

From a manufacturer of asphalt products:

Their charters, by-laws, or rules of association should be open to proper inquiry
 upon the part of the Government, and any departure from their allowed
purposes would be readily known.
A producer of lumber doing considerable export business said :

In other lines and in our line if possible, it would be much better, should
such combinations be permitted, that they be chartered by the Federal Government
 and be required to report to and be under control of the Federal Trade
Commission.
A professor of economics wrote as follows:

Such organizations should be permitted only under a regular charter, and all
details of organization should be open to the inspection of agents of the Federal
Trade Commission and, under certain restrictions, the Department of Justice.
Under such conditions any attempt to make use of the organization to control
domestic prices would probably be discovered, and the association punished or
dissolved.

BooOKS AND ACCOUNTS TO BE OPEN TO INSPECTION AND REPORTS TO BE
MADE.—A number of respondents advocating publicity specify that
the books and accounts of such organizations should be open to the
control and inspection of the supervisory body and that regular
reports should be made thereto. A few typical replies are given.
From the secretary of an association of paper manufacturers:

I believe the affairs of this export combination should be made subject to the
inspection and control of the Federal Trade Commission, that their books should
be completely open to that Commission, that they should place regularly before
the Federal Trade Commission full and complete data regarding their every act.
From a manufacturer of forgings and railway supplies:
We should think an effective method for preventing restraint of domestic
trade would be to establish a system of examination into the affairs of these
export organizations by a Federal Trade Commission officer in much the same
manner as banks are now examined by the Comptroller of Currency, or railroad
accounts by a branch of the Interstate Commerce Commission.
From a manufacturer of railroad and structural steel:
In order to prevent such possible results, we would advocate the export comhinations
 being under the supervision of the Federal Trade Commission. the