Section 17.15 Discrimination
17.15 DISCRIMINATION.
Any person engaged in the business of buying any farm products for manufacture or sale thereof, who shall discriminate between different sections, localities, communities, or cities, or between persons in the same community, in this state, by purchasing any farm products at a higher price or rate in one locality or from one person than is paid for farm products of the same kind, quality, and grade by such person in another section, locality, community, or city, or than is paid to another person of the same community, after making due allowance for the difference, if any, in the reasonable cost of transportation from the locality of purchase to the locality of manufacture or sale, or who shall fail to deduct reasonable transportation costs from the purchase price paid, or who shall fail to deduct the reasonable costs of hauling when such products are gathered by wagon or truck, or who shall pay or offer to pay in trade or in exchange for goods, wares or merchandise a higher price for such farm products than the cash price paid or offered to be paid for such farm products, shall be deemed guilty of unfair discrimination, which is hereby prohibited and declared to be unlawful. Wherever the transportation costs actually charged for hauling cream shall be two cents or more per pound for butterfat therein contained, and 15 cents per 100 pounds for transportation of whole milk, such charge shall be deemed a compliance with the terms of sections 17.14 to 17.19. It shall not be unfair discrimination for any person to pay, in any section, locality, community, or city, a price equal to that actually paid on the same day by any bona fide competitor in such place for farm products of the same kind and grade, provided such price is paid in good faith effort to meet such competition, and the burden of proving such facts shall be upon the defendant.
History:
(6248-3) 1927 c 252 s 3; 1937 c 420 s 2; 1945 c 122 s 1; 1973 c 123 art 5 s 7