NRA had been dead three years when a Federal jury and judge at Madison, Wis. convicted twelve U. S. oil companies, two tycoons and three underlings of fixing (and raising) prices in the Midwestwhat NRA had previously encouraged them to do.* For violating the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, each company was fined $5,000, each individual defendant $1,000. Upholding the convictions this week, the U. S. Supreme Courtwhich had just heard the Government argue its own right to fix coal prices (see p. 83)knocked out any idea that under the law there is good price-fixing and bad price-fixing.
Said Justice Owen Roberts in...