New-York tribune., 1898-10-30
A GREAT TASK UNDERTAKEN.
THE INDUSTRIAL COMMISSION AND THE
WORK LAID OUT FOR 1T.
IT IS TO INVESTIGATE PROBLEMS RELATING TO
CAPITAL AND LABOR AND SUGGEST
DESIRABLE LEGISLATION.
my TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE.]

fBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNEl
woshineton Oct oo-The Industrial Com
mission which met and partly organized here
last week has not yet excited much Interest
In its doings Created as II was just before
the outbreak Of the with Spain the fact
OF It's existence. its purposes and aims anu 'ne
magnitude Of the task to be undertaken py 'he
Commission have all been overshadowed py the
events Of the war; and so little attention mas
been paid 10 II. No other similar Commission
compares with it in scope and importance eN-
cept the British Commission on Labor which
heean its investigation in 1901 and made its
final report in 1891
The Industrial Commission is directed by Con-
yress Ito investigate the questions pertaining
10 immigration, to labor. TO agriculture 10
manufactures and to business, and TO report
N Congress and TO suggest such legislation
"a n NAV deem best upon these SUD-
iects" The scope of the inquiry Is there
fore extensive. The object and purposes OF
the British Commission were similar, IL having
been created to investigate questions ahectlhs
the relations between eTploye' and employed
and 70 report and recommend legislation to
remedy evils that might be disclosed. Ihe
sco,e Of its inquiry was much narrower than
that OF the Industrial Commission VIII be l's
labors however resulted In the accumulation
OF mass Of printed statlstcai lhlorilia'ioh "'''
oral and documentary testimony and evidence
that makes about forty volumes, ana woulo
6u a barrel The report proper. embodying
the conclusions and recommendations OF 'he
Commission. was compressed into one volume
and dealt only with such questions as aroltra-
zion Cancellation and the substitution or puphc
for canitalist enterprises. There was nothins
like unaninity in the conclusions reached nor III
The recommendations made by the Commission
There were majority and minority reports anu
also dissenting views on portions OF oo'n INV
majority and minority report by iho'Viuua'
,oorobers Some of the reformatory legislation
supgested however, has since found its way
into English law.
PERSONNEL OF THE COMMISSION
Tho British Commission composed or
twenty-seven members. The Duke OF DeNo"-
shire was its chairman, and members ol ann
fnent lawyers. tradesmen and trades union iV'i
crs were among It's members. Ihe ihuus'''"'
Commission has Senator Kyle for lts chaii man.
with Repres entatives and former hepleee"'"
tives in Congress. lawyers. business men, manu-
featuring and trade experts and Tades-unloi,,
leaders among it's members WIN d Pei i
that includes men familiar with various III
dustries and emplOyments some OF Wiiohi 10 .
devoted wears 10 the study of production Trans
por.ation and distribution and the HeAa,.oto ' 20
questions which have caused and continue 10
cause so much friction between captdI an. an.
labor IL IS reasonable to hope ana eNpetn p.n iti
tho reenlts of the Commissions lahors VIII uitl-
n1ately result in the enactment OF some Ietui @ d
tory legislation that Will lessen lnls 6 nToe
so contribute to the general "e'"i' "'N i
perity Of the country. 49, o,u
The Commission met on Monday dt . tlIe ."i,
Of Senator Kyle and on "Wednesday auJourmro Lnd,,
until November L. having apparently a.coIH
rlished little although. all Things coilsiueuv', IL,
IN has really made Commendahle progress. lne
first DAYS meeting. which hroueht d" ,S SHCvp
.l,o arr1pb
that men with ideas about the work III manu-
we're present and also that there was consiu
erahle diversity Of views about method or
procedure Common-sense prevailed ana i hotl.
ing more was d Ie than partially TO Organize
Nv the selection Of chairmen and the apponl-
lnent Of two committees. one on orgahl%duoI
and another on procedure. Senator Kyle was
selected as permanent chairman. win ex-Coh-
cressman Phillips of Pennsylvania nrst NICe-
chairman and Representative Gardner. OF New
Jersey second vice chairman. The COMMISSION
then adjourned 10 meet again on November io'
leaving to the Committee on Procedure the I'M
portant preliminary work OF OutHnlhS the gen
cral plan Of the inquiry.
OUTLINING \ PLAN OF PROCEDURE
REPRESENTATIVE Gardner. of New-Jersey. who
IS chairman Of the Committee on Procedure.
realizes at the outset the magnitude of the task
before the Commission and the necessity for
careful systematic and analytical effort from
beginning to end throughout the investigation,
and 50 he says. great care must be taken 10
start right by properly classifying the SUBJECTS
TO be Investigated. and to limit the inquiry 10
what is gernane to each particular subject
His committee has thus far agreed to recon-
mend that the inquiry be conducted by four sub
committees and is now engaged in maturing d
plan Of procedure which ii hopes to have reaay
FOR the Commission when II reassembles the
middle of next month. Most Of the members OF
the Commission expect to be ready 10 begin the
real work Of the inquiry soon afterward. ,
The British Commission was created in Aprli,
1891 but spent six months in the preliminary
vo,l of arranging q syllabus outlining the
scope Of the inquiry and did not begin lts IN
yestigations until the following October
TIE selection OF secretary for the Commis-
sion has been postponed until 'he meeting next
month In the mean time ex-Congressman
Farnuhar OF New York a member of the Com
mission will perform the duties of secretary, as
we'll az assist in the work OF the Committee on
Procedure Of which he Is member.