Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-08-20
Scattered Bureaus Have Been
Brought Under Department
of Commerce and Labor
FACTS ABOUT THEM
The One to Which the Largest Interest
Attaches is the Bureau of Corpora
tons, Which is Empowered to In
vestisate Any Corporations suppos-
ed to be Trust-Other News.

Washington. Aug. 2O.-The new dc
partment of commerce and labor
still in process of being organized. Ih
act of congress was passed Feb. Ia, an
Immediately became operative, eXceT
that section authorizing the transfe
of the various bureaus previously un
der the Jurisdiction of the treasur
ment. That section was to go into ct
feet July /, and has now been in oper
alton about six weeks.
The largest task of the new secre
tary. George b. Cortelyou. has been tn
! assembling of the bureaus to be trans
ferred. The five months previous t
July / We're employed in getting ready
and the weeks since have been occu
pied in reorgantzing and amalgamat
| ing. The new department now en-
braces the light house board, the steam
boat inspection service, immigration
navigation, Alaska fur seal fisheries
| the bureau of standards. the coast an:
geodetic survey. the census, the de
partment OF labor, the bureau of sta
tistics. the fish commission and tn
bureau of corporations. The las
| named is the bureau created to in
vestigate corporations supposed to b.
| trustc.
The work of assembling the scat
| tered bureaus and bringing them, with
out friction or interruption, under tn
new department, has been accomplish
| ed The larger task of reorganiZins
these bureaus, and eliminating dupii-
cation, has hardly more than begun. /
is the purpose Of the secretary to
make some radical changes in this
direction. but he intends to move slow
iy and with caution. He has deter
mined. in fact not to avail himself nj
the full authority given him by the
act to bring other bureaus than thoss
named under his jurisdiction. The law
gives the president discretion TO malss
such transfers from any of the depart
ments except the agricultural, and q
special committee named by Secretary
Cortelyou made a thorough conNass OF
the situation and recommended a mum
Der of transfers. This report was made
recently TO President Roosevelt at Oy-
ster Bay. But 1T has been determined
that none OF these changes shall BE-
made until congress shall have given
specific approval OF the proposed
changes.
The largest interest attaches to the
operations of the bureau OF corpora
lions, which is empowered to make
an icat Sy,fn he n
ization, conduct and management of
the business OF any corporation, joint
stock company or corporate combina-
zion engaged in commerce among tho
several states and with foreign nations,
excepting common carriers. etc, and
10 gather such information and data
Us will enable the president of the
United States to make recommended
sions to congress for legislation for
the regulation OF such commerce, and
20 report such data to the president
from time to time as he shall require
and the information so obtained, or as
much OF ii as the president may di
rect, shall be made public" The next
section arms the commissioner of cor
porations with the inquisitorial power
conferred upon the interstate COM
merce commission relative to railroads.
Then follows a further definition of the
duties of the bureau as follows: IT'D
gather, compile, publish and supply
Useful information concerning corpor-
atoms doing business within the linn
is of the United States, including cor
porations engaged in insurance"
This bureau. altho 1t has been in ex-
iStanpa Spp,ar hing over five months iS
still getting ready TO begin. Commits
soner Garfield has not yet undertaken
the investigation of any corporation.
Secretary Cortelyou does not feel that
there is any great hurry; he regards
it as more important that the founda
tions for future labors be laid with care
and certainty. Before beginning the in
vestigatlon of any supposed trust the
bureau of corporations Will make an
exhaustive study and compilation Of
state laws under which these business
concerns are organized and operated,
and of the largest corporations doing
business in the various states. The bu-
reau is now engaged in this work, and
particularly in collecting the useful in
orination concerning corporations to-
when the law refers, including facts
tbout the great insurance concerns.
This has proved a formidable task, and
i is the secretary's belief that the de-
2artment will be occupied with it until
October, If not longer
Among other duties enjoined upon the
secretary of commerce and labor by the
new law is to promote and develop
he transportation facilities of the Uni
ed States" To this end the bureau
VIII have a bureau devoted TO gathering
lnd disseminating valuable information,
statistical and otherwise, on the sub
ject of railways. This bureau, as Well
Is all statistical work, viii eventually
Je amalgamated with the census bu
eau.
The assistant secretary of commerce.
salary $4,000 n year-has not yet been
appointed. Neither has the head of the
bureau of manufactures, which was al
20 new creation of this law, been
No step has yet been taken
.oward the organization of the bureau
IF manufactures. This may seem
strange but one reason for the delay |
S the fact that no one has quite sue
coded in defining the functions and du-
les of this new office. In a general way
hey are defined as to promote manu-
'acturing Industries in the United Sta
es, and to seek wider markets for man
fractured goods abroad. The govern
.1nnt he. Ipip MANY things i'm !