Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-10-03
AS TO CORPORATIONS
More Specific Powers to Be
Asked of Congress.
INFORMATION SECURED
BY COMMISSIONER GARF1ELD'S
EXPERTS ALREADY.
One Line of Inquiry - AS to Price OF
Trust Made Goods-Not
Yet Attempted.

During the coming Congress the PROPOSE
ton that more specific powers be gwen the
bureau of corporations of the Department
of Commerce and Labor will be brought up
for consideration.
When the last Congress authorized the
formation of the Department Of Commerce
and Labor and provided for the bureau of
corporations, 1t was recognized that the
powers given the new bureau would have to
be revised and added to. There was not at
that time a sufficiently well-defined idea as
TO the needs of the new bureau to allow the
framing of legislation entirely satisfactory
to the advocates of the measure, and the
general desire to have such a bureau es-
tabl!shed overcame all questions as to the
details of the power that 1t would need in
carrying out the plan for the supervision or
the acts of corporations.
There was at that time great pressure
that something should be done as a curb
upon monopolistic powers Of trusts, and 1t
was believed that If a beginning should be
made by providing general legislation there
would be no difficulty in the future, after
experience had made plain just what should
be done to allow the bureau to work effect
lively to enact proper legislation In ofder
to provide a beginning of the work the bu-
reau was in a general way given those
powers of investigation into the affairs or
corporations that at that time applied TO the
interstate commerce commission In relation
to the railroads.
Difference in Railroad and Industrial
Corporations.
1t was recognized then, and Is still more
apparent at this time, that the difference in
railroad and Industrial corporations was
such that there would De difficulty in max
ing this application of the interstate COM
merce powers to the industrials through the
bureau of corporations.
Just what legislation should be enacteo
has been one of the leading questions that
have been studied by Comm ssioner Gar
field and his associates in the bureau OF
corporations. The result of this study VIII
in due time be placed before Congress:
Men who have studied the law relating to
the enforcement of the publicity provisions
of the act authorizing the bureau of cor
porations confident that 4 an enort
should be made to secure by legal process
information that the corporations mig nj net
care to give there would be many diniculdes
in the way.
In many respects the interstate commerce
act has been found defective from time 10
time That being SO, attorneys are con-
vinced that in the application of the pow
ers possessed by the interstate comm IS on
to the bureau of corporations in securing
publicity still greater difficulties will be en-
countered. whenever resistance IS deter
mined upon by the corporations.
O"SAS ~ ~ AAS>~SO'
1t has not been decided when Congress
will be asked to provide additional powers
for the bureau 1t is not likely that that
will be done early in the session Up to the
present time .the force of experts employed
under Commissioner Garfield has been en-
gagged In collecting data giving every va
rie,y of inforIna ton concerning the corpo-
rations of the country, together with the
national and state laws relating to them
This informa ton has been, to large cx-
tent so classified that it Is in fact ready
reference of information on the subject OF
corporations.
REQUESTS have not yet been sent out by
the bureau to corporations asking for in
formation concerning their business Be
fore that is done 1t is intended to gather
and have classified all data wherever found
in a reliable form. For this purpose hun
dreds of volumes of court proceedings. ofii-
cial records of investigations made under
the authority of Congress and of state
legisla lures, reports by corporations for
purposes of taxation throughout the states.
and various other documents have been and
are still being reviewed.
When Congress meets a very large part
of this Information will be in such form
that with very little revision it will be
available for transmission to the Senate
or the House of Representatives If it is
called for. 1t IS likely that resolution
calling on the President for such informa-
ton would meet with a response in very
short time.
Price of Trust-Made Goods.
One line of the investigation by the bu-
reau which has not yet been made as COM
plete as might be desired, but which is
more comprehensive in it's scope than any
other known compilation a similar sub
ject, relates to the price of trust-made
goods in this and foreign countries. 1t
has been sought, in compiling this informa-
ton, to show the prices at which products
of trusts in this country are sold here and
abroad. Much difficulty has been met In
gathering this data because of the man
ner of making sales, which often causes
difficulty in tracing exact prices.
Then, too the reason for accepting a low
price for goods abroad is recognized as an
important element in considering the sig
nicance of a sale of an article abroad
at price lower than in this country.
If such low prices introduces an article
in country where 1t has not before been
known and tried sufficiently to give it a
standing in the market and if it should
lead to a remunerative trade, there would
be absolutely no significance in the fact
that it in some instances or even for
a considerable time sold at rate lower
than In this country. 1t would be claimed
that the lower price was merely in the ma
ture of an advertisement.
Important for Tariff Action.
and abroad of the products of the trusts
will be of the greatest Importance in the
consideration of any proposition to reduce
the tariff rates on trust-made goods which
is likely to be debated. Congress has never
had accurate and full information on this
subject The data that has been presented
from time to time in the Senate and in
the House of Representatives has been
fragmentary in its nature and frequently
from partisan sources which has resulted
in having it fail to make great an i'm
preston on legislators as would have been
the case had it been of different kind.
But II the bureau of corporations succeeds
in doing what it is now working on. this
obstacle to a clear understanding as to the
prices here and abroad will be removed.
Congress will not only be enabled to learn
the exact facts in the case of a large
number of commodities, but 1t will be given
information as to the reason for discrep-
ancies in prices SO that a Judgment may be
formed as to the advisability of legislating
on the subject of the tariff, especially in
reference to trust-made goods.