In the Public Interest

New kinds of plaintiffs are taking the federal government to court in increasing numbers of cases. These plaintiffs are Senators and Representatives. Their causes almost invariably charge that a government agency or department has acted unlawfully under laws passed by Congress or under the Constitution. Just a few days ago, Federal District Judge William B.…

The relentless juggernaut of monopoly is pushing two bills–one sponsored by the soft drink industry and the other by the giant milk producing combines-‑through the Congress. These special interest bills are being lobbied through the Senate and the House with techniques that reveal, as if by a legislative x-ray, many of the deficiencies of that…

Mounting disclosures about unsafe drinking water systems throughout the United States have now reached a level requiring the urgent attention of concerned citizens. Everyone knows of the pollution of our lakes, rivers and streams but few people are focusing on the fact that too much of these lethal wastes are getting past archaic water purification…

Unlike their less active counterparts in the United States, consumer cooperatives in Switzerland are engaged in a fast and broadening growth of services for consumer well-being. The largest such cooperative is the Federation of Migros Cooperatives with annual sales over $1.2 billion and a membership exceeding 900,000. In many ways the Migros story has remarkable…

One of the reputed safeguards for consumers is that companies will challenge each other’s violations of law and marketplace excesses out of their own self interest. This doctrine is called economic pluralism and was given popular currency over twenty years ago in John K. Galbraith’s American Capitalism: The Theory of Countervailing Power. The trouble with…

What do over-the-road truck drivers do when they become dissatisfied with their Teamsters Union’s indifference toward unsafe tractor-trailers and driving conditions? They hire their own full-time lawyer in Washington to push the federal government on truck safety. With our encouragement, several hundred truck drivers have formed the Professional Drivers Council (PROD) whose director is Arthur…

During the last month, sources within the oil industry began floating the prospect that gasoline could sell at a dollar a gallon within five years! The oil industry always thinks big whether in seeking tax loopholes, government insulation from competition or political campaign contributions. But in these days of calculated gasoline shortages, the industry’s “major”(about…

For many it was a scene to behold; for others it was a scene to bewail. But on that day, April 11th, amidst a tumultuous meeting of national meat boycott leaders in a large House of Representatives hearing room, the National Consumer Congress was born. Outside of the meeting room, ranchers were telling housewives that…

The nationwide consumer meat boycott drive may become a landmark event in the history of the consumer movement. Although the designated week for a maximum effort was April 1-8, the boycott’s effect on the future outlook and organization of consumers could be its most significant contribution. First and foremost, it arose out of a series…

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and its Administrator, William Ruckelshaus, are beginning final consideration of the domestic motor vehicle manufacturers’ request for a one year suspension of the 1975 carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons motor vehicle emission standards. If EPA gives in, most large cities including Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New York, and Phoenix will be…