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Homework. List of subjects which the President proposed Congress investigate: 1) Improvement of anti-trust laws by placing the burden of proof of innocence on those charged with certain violations, such as presenting identical bids, uniform price raises; 2) more careful scrutiny of mergers and interlocking relationships; 3) supervision of investment trusts and gradual separation of banks from holding companies; 4) supervision and publicizing of activities of trade associations; 5) amendment of patent laws to prevent use of patent controls for suppression of new inventions; 6) correction of tax laws to encourage competition and dividend distribution. To top all this the President also suggested that Congress consider creating a Bureau of Industrial Economics, modeled on the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, to keep business informed on supply and demand variations throughout the U. S.
"Men of Good Faith." Noteworthy in all the President's recent discourses to or about business since he recognized Depression* last month has been a gentle and conciliatory tone. Last week's message was no exception.
"No man of good faith will misinterpret these proposals. ... [The program] is not intended as the beginning of any ill-considered 'trustbusting' activity which lacks proper consideration for economic results. It is a program to preserve private enterprise for profit by keeping it free enough to be able to utilize all our resources of capital and labor at a profit."
*A recent Gallup poll on the subject showed that 58% of its respondents considered Depression more accurate than Recession as a description of the current state of U. S. business.