ALLEGED MONOPOLIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24911, 9 May 1942, Page 6

ALLEGED MONOPOLIES

AMERICAN COMPANIES I ATTORNEY'S ACCUSATION v WASHINGTON, ' (Rec. 7 p.m.) ■ May 7. A Mr John Lewin, the Justice Depart--ment Attorney, told the Senate Patents Committee to-day that statements in the General Electric Company’s full- ‘ page advertisement, which was widely published following earlier evidence -presented to the committee on alleged monopolistic practices, were either misleading or absolutely false. Mr Lewin, referring to one paragraph headed “An Inspirational Story of ; American Industry,” said the documents of General Electric and Car- ) boloy reveal an inspirational story of monopoly and restraint which should inspire the' law; enforcement officers ana this committee to make certain that such practices would never be repeated. • Mr Lewin derided the General Electric’s claim of long and arduous negotiations to secure American rights held by German Krupp interests. He declared that General Electric already 'had independent American rights to "manufacture tungsten carbide and that artificial prices, wilfully maintained prior to 1940, created a drastic scarcity of tungsten carbide in American Mr Lewin severely criti■cised the company’s claim that tung'sten carbide was difficult to manufacture, and quoted a Carboloy director as saying In 1931 that the manufacture was about as complicated as that ■of good grade concrete.