Spectacle Trust?

Over two months ago Bausch & Lomb Optical Co., makers of about 50% of all the military optical goods sold in the U. S., was indicted under the Federal antitrust laws because it had an old sales & patent agreement with the German firm of Carl Zeiss. The agreement, Government men hinted, prevented B. & L. from selling range finders, gun sights and other fire-control instruments to the Allies.

Last week Bausch & Lomb pleaded nolo contendere (I won't argue), offered to consent to an injunction against carrying out any provisions of the Zeiss agreement which might violate the anti-trust laws. The court accepted the plea, slapped a $40,000 maximum fine on the firm and three of its principal officers.

Thus scalded on its way out of the frying pan, Bausch & Lomb promptly fell into the fire. With 13 other U. S. makers of eyeglasses, five wholesalers, three trade associations (virtually the entire U. S. optical industry), it was accused last week by the same Federal grand jury of another anti-trust law violation. With its fellow defendants, the Government claimed, B. & L. had conspired successfully for the last ten years to keep the cost of eyeglass frames and lenses unnecessarily high. Government example: spectacles which would bring a profit at $7.50 are sold at a fixed price of $20.

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