Business: That Man

Under the Public Utility Act of 1935, any power company violating the law may be barred from use of the mails. Since holding companies representing some 80% of the U. S. utility business refused to register with the Securities & Exchange Commission, the major part of the industry was last week probably violating the law. This put Postmaster General James Aloysius Farley in a tight spot. He finally wriggled out by announcing that he had no intention of cracking down on utility letter-writing—"at least not before the validity of the Act is judicially determined by the Supreme Court. . . ."

Meantime SEC attorneys moved heaven & earth to confine their legal war with holding companies to SEC's own suit against Electric Bond & Share. Nevertheless, process servers with complaints in holding company injunction suits continued to stalk SEC's Washington headquarters. SECommissioner Robert E. Healy perfected the routine of accepting service to the point where he could take the papers without looking up from his work or interrupting a conversation. One deputy marshal from the District of Columbia Supreme Court appeared so often that Mr. Healy's secretary would merely pop her head in his door, wearily announce: "Mr. Healy, that man is here again."