The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-04-03
MAKING A BUREAU.
Secretary Cortelyou Hard at Work
Planning the Manufacturing {
Bureau.
Organization Of the Department Of
Commerce Matter of Hard
H.. Labor. ........ :.

zSSAAAAASASS ~ @hA~SoSSA ~ AAs~AN
H. Labor. .l.. ...
From The Journal Bureau, Room IS, Post Build.
ing. Washington. = \ H.. .r...s1 8 -"
+ Washington. April S.-Since Mr.. Cortel-
you became secretary Of commerce he has
been importuned to make speeches in
many sections of the country at banquets
given by commercial organizations He
has declined all such invitations. He tells
his wouldbe hosts that his business just
at present is to do. He has been called
to organize a. great and important depart
ment of government; as yet he has done
nothing but work at the task of organiza
ton. The greater tasks to be performed
by the new department when 1t Is fully,
constructed have not even been reached
, At this time his speeches would neces-
!. sarily deal with hopes and expectations
! He says he prefers to talk about things
which have been accomplished.
III A Moving Day on July 1.
The big task for the secretary Of COM
merce just at present is to organize the
administrative machinery which is to
take care of the business Of all the great
bureaus which are to be transferred July
1 to the jurisdiction of the secretary Of
commerce. All the employees of the CEN
sus, the immigration, the geodetic and
coast survey, the bureau of standards and
measurements, Chinese exclusion, statis-
tics. consular reports, labor, fish COM
mission, steamboat inspection, and the
lighthouse board-an these will have to be
brought into order under the new regime.
. TO do this without confusion or Interrupt
! ton Of work is not simple task The
bookkeeping and accounting feature alone
Is no small undertaking. Many of the
departments will move their quarters.
The new building opposite the Willard
hotel Is to be ready for occupancy about
! that time, and July l promises to be
Z great moving day in government circles.
/ Bureau Of Manufactures.
/ The bureau Of manufactures, which is
lone OF the two new bureaus created by
the law which made the department of
commerce. is hardly in a condition yet to
{ be the subject of prospectus. What it
will be depends almost entirely on Sec
rotary Cortelyou's ideas Of what it can be
i made to be. The law Is very vague. The
sact reads that it shall be the province
and duty Of such bureau, under the di-
@rection of the secretary, to "foster pro-
= mote and develop the various manufac-
turing industries Of the United States and
( markets for the same at home and abroad
1 domestic and foreign. by gathering COM
piling and publishing, and supplying, all
available and useful information concern
ling such Industries and such markets, and
Il by such other methods and means as may
]. be prescribed by the secretary or pre-
r scribed by the law
q Under such an authorization the Sec
4 rotary can do just about what he pleases
Anything to promote commerce and man.
ufactures, with view particularly to
S gathering and distributing information,
i that is about the purport of the statute
81 The secretary might make it more
statistical bureau, but that Is evidently
,dnot the purpose Of the act, as there is
0tpooI =,
fully, organized and equipped, with O..
p. Austin, competent man, at its head
sit is evidently not intended to duplicate
s;thls work, nor is it contemplated that the
n work of the census. which gathers and
4 distributes a vast amount of statistical
and other infornla ton bearing on manu-
Il facturers, shall be duplicated. Informal
{stion as to foreign markets is already fur
y nshed by the consular officers of the
Il United States, and is distributed by the
- bureau OF the state department which
q handles these commercial reports. The
b new bureau Of manufactures will handle
81 these consular reports; the law specifies
v that as "a part Of it's dutes.'' But that
K viii be but an incident.
S There are scores Of government de-
.# partments which are now doing work
&. which fosters and promotes the manufac-
II turing industries of the United States
NJ The patent office may be said to do that
&. % Afdy Tie bureau OF animal INDUSTRY
q of the agricultural department, or the
E bureau OF chemistry, or those branches
"a Of the government which map the min
& eral bearing sections of the earth an6
& explore the water power Of streams In
& directly almost all the machinery Of gov
4 eminent works to the general result Of
Is developing manufactures and finding
& markets for the same.
Opening Up Foreign Markets.
1~I-
iel commerce to build a department Of man
z$5ufactures which will really be useful ant
will fill some want not yet supplied Thu
r. question is, what do the manufacturing
IS interests Of this country Want-what tina
81 they cannot get now?
Perhaps foreign markets are as impor
HI tant as anything at present. They ar,
getting into foreign markets pretty wei
81 without much aid from the government
Is but that does not alter the fact that bet
IS ter, fuller, quicker and more explicit in
formation might be welcomed. For al
such information the new bureau Of man
IS ufactures is dependent on the consua
s officers. The latter are under the juris
s'diction of the state department, and al
reports have to be transmitted through
the secretary of state to the secretar,
Of commerce. In course Of time thes
consular officials may be transferred
wholly to the department Of commerce
and labor, and their reports be made di
rect and under better direction.
The new bureau Of manufactures car
under the law. do more than supply in
formation. The bureau may lend a littl
government aid in the actual introduction
Il of American manufactures. There ar
sdoubtedly foreign countries where Amer
lean manufactured products might b
e sold at a profit, but which private enter
prise is not strong enough or darin