Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-12
MR.. METCALF'S REPORT
YEARS WORK OF DEPARTMENT
OF COMMERCE AND LABOR
Our Foreign Trade Greater Than Ever
Before-Investigat of the
Bureau of Corporations.

Secretary Metcalfs first report of the
Department of Commerce and Labor, and
the second of that branch of the govern
ment service, shows that during the fiscal
year ended June 30. 1894 the total dis
bursements reached the sum of $1O361 SO
This included the expenses of all the many
branches of the department, which includes
the census office.
November 10, 1904, there were in the de-
partment 9,210 regular positions. OF these,
1872 were specifically authorized by law,
and 1893 were provided for under general
appropriations that do not create SPECIFIC
positions.
Our Foreign Commerce.
The foreign commerce of the United
States as reported by the bureau OF sta
tistics shows a larger total than in any
earlier year. While the exports were sur
passed by those of a single year, 1901, ana
the imports were also surpassed by those
of a single year, 1903 the aggregate of
imports and exports for the year Is greater
than that of any preceding year in the his
tory of our commerce. The imports OF
the year were 1891 ,0S7,311 and the exports
81 ,460, S27 ,2I1, making the total foreign COM
merce of the year 81 451 ,914, 642, which eX-
ceded by 81, O53, 726 the high record estab-
lished by the year 1903. The imports showed
a reduction of $34, 631 1865 as compared with
1903, but exceeded those of any other year,
and the exports were $26,931, 100 below
those of 1901, but exceeded those OF any
other year. OF the s1,46O, S27,271 of ex-
ports, 81, 435, 1907 were of domestic pro
duction, the exports OF products Oh asli-
culture being $S5o,64o,o'o anu VI i'h"i''e
lures s452, 415.921.
The value of the commerce OF the united
States with its noncontlguous territorieS =
Porto Rico, the Hawaiian Isianos, ,' me
Philippine Islands, Guam, Midway, Tutulla
and Alaska-was $103, S04 in the year
1904. including in that statement $652s,oZ4
of gold received in the United states from
the mines of Alaska.
Examination of Corporations.
The Secretary, referring to the work OF
the bureau of corporations, says that 'his
branch of the department has made ex-
haustive examination of judicial decisions
for the purpose of ascertainng fully those
constitutional powers and restrictions on
which present conditions are based, ana
also those which must necessarily be IN
yolved in any future legislation for the I'M
provement of present legal corporate con-
ditions. a..
For the purpose" the report says, 01
ascertaining and presenting in aValiapie
form the legal conditions under which cor
porate business is being carried on In the
various states material obtained from thirty
states has been compiled and tapuiate1' IN
each of these states with regard to all the
more important corporations organized IN
the state and engaged in interstate or lot
eign commerce, typical either OF the state
Industries or of its laws, every paper or
document filed or recorded concerning each
corporation was examined separately, ana
all information relating to each corporation
disclosed by the official records has been
collected and compiled There have been
thus far examined and distracted the rec
ords of over 800 corporations, which In
clude the larger part of the more important
industrial and commercial corporate
tot, ctr
nations in the United States.
For the purpose of laying the founda-
ton upon which direct Investigations OF
special corporations can be intelligently
conducted the bureau has compiled, from
sources other than the corporations them
selves, all available information regarding
certain leading combinations. From a care
full analysis of this material 1t has been
possible to form preliminary judgments re-
garding the economic and financial prac-
tees and effects of combinations in general,
and to determine the lines of further special
inquiry. On the basis of this general study
preliminary outlines of inquiries to be ad-
dressed directly to the companies are being
prepared
The result of the investigation of the beef
industry, authorized by resolution Of Con-
gress, will be made the subject of a special
report, as has been already told in The
Star.
The most important work of the census
bureau performed during the past year. in
addition to work on the special reports, has
been the tabulatlon OF the census OF the
Philippine Islands.
Department Organization.
In closing the Secretary pays a tribute
to former Secretary Cortelyou, under whose
guidance the organization of the depart
ment was effected. His words are:
Il find that the work of organizing the
department has been thorough and COM
plete as was possible under the available
appropriations, and that the men who have
been selected to fill the important staff po-
sitions are especially efficient and in every
way qualified for the performance of the
important duties of their offices. The credit
for the organization of the department is
due, in my judgment, to the first Secretary,
the Hon. George B. Cortelyou, whose great
executive ability and thorough familiarity
with pnuernmental matters ahlad hin, in