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 Prior to the yerr 1929, the manufacturers of ladies' h-idb&cs had,
for more tnhn fifty years, sold their goods on terms of 2/10/60 or
3/10/eom.

 From 1950 .. to March 23, 1934, the tine the code for the industry
became effective, the disco-nt in the industry varied front 3, to 85.
The code fixed the maxim-1"terms for the industry at not in excess of
3/10/oom. These terns were accepted by !13. retailers- throughout the
country. Since ,a.y 27, 19.35, when the codes became ino-erati.ve, the
terns in the i:idustry hpve remained at 3/10/eon. 'A fe, large retailers
and chri'i stores arve der'iaded that the nanufacturers.fix the disco-Int
at 8/10/eon.

 In the /or.r 19'., the srles volume for the industry amounted to
about 70 ,iilli-:i dollars. Using the 1929 fi.ares as a basis, the sales
volume for the ,ea-r 1930 decreased a-ooro::imately 30/', 40' in 1931, 50'0'
in 1932, 5:6 in 1333, and about 50, in 1034. This slun.) in sales
volume presented a very serious situation to manufacturers who had an
overhead ex.ense basedon large saies volume. It was impossible for
them to readjust, the overhead to the raid decrease in their sales. A
fe'. manufacturers, because of the -necessit-r for their naintaini4ng sales
volume, entered. iato an agreement aith some large retailers to give then
a rebate on -ll their purchases, in consideration for which these
manu.facturer.-- -ere promised/by such retailers that they vrould be made
preferred sources. The few manufacturers '-ho agreed to this arrangement,
erected thru thiis neanms to take the business a''ay front conpetitors.who
were not sililorly, favored by such retailers. -The proposition of re-
bating haviag,-_ een accepted by a few, manufacturers, the retailers con-
tinued to offer the proposition. to other nira.nufacturers, many o:' who:n
havimr:; .lread- found themselves unable to obtain any business front
these ret.ilcrs, did not hesitate to acce-t their proposition. Those
who accepted 1lte, vere required to )ay a lar,-er rebate. It was not
long before the i.ianuf.ncturers wcre co:YpetinC; on the amount of rebate
they would 7ive. This rebate finally reached 5' .

 By this tine, the retailers were getting rebates from so many
manufacturers it was no longer a secret, not vras it termed a rebate.
It VTs added to the regular cash discount of 3', and the discount be-
carne 8',, '-hich eventuallyy -,ost of the manufacturers were coerced into
giving, if the:. 'nnted to do business with these retailers, the result
being that cert:.-in large retailers and ch-ini stores were receiving a
discount of 8'", ,-hile snall retailers continued to receive front the
sane -2Pnufacturers only the 3b cash discount.

 .it'ia t'ie oast ten years, retailers have standardized retail
prices of handba-s so as to avoid stocking too large an inventory at too
 stoc... n U to .,e an inventory at too
riany different )rices. To conforin rith, this policy, the retailers
throughout the country fixed the retail -mriccs of hand.ba:.s at 50(, $1.00,
$1.95, S2.95, S4.95, 5'7.50 and uwards. These prices became. so
standard that ann- in-between p-rice is regarded as an unusual price,
or ssle )rice, used mainly to denote a narl down front the regular
or standard prices. TIhe'i the retail pricess were sta..ndrdized by the
retailers, it eventually followed thrt the wholesale -rices.becane
standardized, by the retailer de::Landing that the manufacturers price
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