Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-20
MR., GARF|ELD'S WORK
Task of the Commissioner of
Corporations Bureau.
DATA PUT IN ORDER
INFORMATION THAT WILL BE
SOUGHT BY THE OFFICIALS.
Numerous Charges Of Violation of Law
Filed, but Nothing to War
rant a Suit.
DATA PUT IN ORDER

Commissioner Garfield of the bureau of
corporations, Department of Commerce and
Labor. is still at work arranging data relat-
ing to corporations doing interstate COM
MERGE business, in order to get the records
of his office in complete condition before
the LIST of July, when the bureau will be
endowed with all the power given it by the
last Congress for the regulation of corpora
ticns of the interstate commerce class.
This work has required the closest appli-
cation the part of Mr.. Garfield and the
corps of assistants under him. 1t has made
necessary the carrying on of an investiga-
ton to obtain the names of all that numer-
Gus class of corporations that by law are
placed under the control of the bureau.
Desired Information.
When this work has been completed the
bureau will send to each of the corpora
tions within the scope of the investigation
memoranda Of the information concerning
their affairs that will be desired by the
bureau. Three corporations have acted in
this matter Of making reports before being
called upon. They are the United States
steel corporation, the New York Life and
the Mutual Life insurance companies of
New York city. 1t is understood that the
report made by the steel corporation Is
practically that which has been made to
the stockholders of the company and which
has been published in the leading news
papers of the country.
Men who try to see an Interior motive in
every action have been cynical enough to
suggest that these big corporations have
been over prompt in making their reports
before they have been called for in order
to, in that way suggest TO the bureau
what kind of informal ton they think 1t Is
proper for the bureau of corporations to
too h,,< I,4r, folro fha{r
action as meaning a willingness to grace
fully come into compliance with the law.
Just what questions will be asked of the
corpora tons is one of the matters that has
not yet been decided by Mr.. Garfield. 1t
will require some time to determine what
should be told by the corporations doing
an interstate commerce business. and what
line of Information is unnecessary and
should not be asked for.
Information Already Obtained.
An effort will be made not to duplicate
information of this kind already in pos
session of the government. The census
bureau has a vast amount of such material
collected in the last census, concerning the
corporations Of the country, which material
was made use of by the census bureau I'm
compiling some of its reports. AS these re-
ports have been compiled by the census
bureau, the names Of the corpora tiOns have
not been made public, but only the salient
facts that 1t was desired to bring out. In
the case Of the bureau of corporations these
reports will be OF as great service II
called for directly by that bureau, as to
large extent they cover the ground to be
covered In the investigation Of the COM
missioner of corporations. The use of that
data, instead Of calling for other matter,
will prevent giving the corporations con-
cerned the trouble of compiling another
similar report.
In few cases people have called to the
% tL1
legged facts concerning abuses Of certain
corporations which they believe to be in
violation of law. This action has been
with view Of having prosecutions begun
of the corporations indicated by the peo-
pie making the charges.
Charges Filed.
To all those who have made charges
against corporations alleged to have vio-
lated the law Mr.. Garfield has said that he
will very gladly hear orally or, preferably,
receive in writing their statements in a
brief form. 1t has been deemed in the
present condition of the development of the
work of the bureau impossible to enter
into extended hearings In any of the
classes of cases indicated. But brief state
ments will be very welcome to the commits
sioner of corporations.
Up to the present time none of those
making these charges has undertaken to
that would justify the bringing of a case
in court. Information that has come in
that way, however, has been of a kind
to add to the store of knowledge being
gathered from hundred sources by the
bureau and all bearing on the one sub
ject of corporations doing an interstate
commerce business
While the bureau will have a large
amount of work in keeping up with the
doings in this country of corporations in
order to see that they not violating
law. another important part of its work
will be to look out for the interest of those
corporations in foreign lands. Already the
New York Life Insurance Company has
brought to the attention of the bureau
a case of its own in Uruguay, in which
1t is alleged that that company has been
Disseminated against in a legal action
without what In this country would be
considered due process Of law. This matter
was referred to the State Department in
order that the matter might be looked into
by consul in Uruguay. After July 1 the
bureau Of corporations will be able to
refer such matters directly to consuls of
the United States abroad. and it Is expect
ed the business of the United States con-
suls will be very much increased