Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-12-09

1
eign commerce may well be placed
through the federal license plan, &C,
cording 10 Victor Fl. Metcalf, secretary
of commerce and labor, who submitted.
his annual report to congress late yes
terday afternoon. Secretary Metcalfs
opinions On this subject are quite pos
tive, but as to insurance he believes
that at present the power required for
either supervision or regulation is lack
ing.
! Of the giant corporation Secretary
Metcalf says, '.The. inadequacy OF
| state legislation to regulate or control
In any proper measure the corpora
lions engaged in interstate commerce
has been most clearly demonstrated
The great railway systems and the
greater industrial corporations extend
ing their operations through many
states, some throughout the entire
United States. are but sominally super
vised or controlled by the states from
which their charters were obtained
Some of these corporations have
shown not only a disregard for state
laws, but have become potent factors
in directing the political policies Of
the state.
1 Secretary Metcalf asserts that the
| question of federal supervision oversin-
surance companies has been carefully
considered He adds:
THE recent investigations under
state authority of certain insurance
companies show the need of careful
supervision, but it is clear that the
1Y,oic eli IF
the present act. and in view of the
decisions of the supreme court has
no jurisdiction over insurance CON-
panies. Whether the federal govern
ment can supervise and regulate in
surance companies can be determined
only after further legislation and jul
dicial decision"
The secretary explains the depart
ment's investigation into the beef in
dustry saying that it was conducted
apart from the inquiry made by the
department Of Justice. He refers to
his special report transmitted to con-
gress last March and says of it:
THAT investigation was conducted
in pursuance of resolution of the
house of representatives. The pub.
lished report dealt only with that por-
ton of the resolution having to do
with prices and the margin of the prof
it between the price of cattle and
dressed beef; the other portion Of the
resolution Regarding combination was
not reported upon, for the reason that
questions relating thereto were then
pending in court and being considered
by the department Of Justice. A duty
of the bureau of corporations is to OBJ
tain facts upon which congressional ac-
ton may be based; duty of the de.
partment of justice is to prosecute for
violations of law. While these duties
are entirely distinct, there are in
stances where the bureau of corpora
tons must necessarily obtain facts
, with which the department of jus.
tice is concerned"
4 The department of commerce and
labor he asserts is now engaged in spe-
cial investigations of the oil and steel
industries and of sugar, tobacco, coal
and lumber.
I'm all of these subjects the inquiry
extends from the production of the
raw material to the finished product
Secretary Metcalfe says, covering the
questions of transportation and distri
4 button as well as manufacture. 1t is
necessary to study the foreign condi
lions of the great staples for the rea
son that our trade conditions are af
fected directly by the worlds mar
kets. If the results of these investi
cations are to be Of real value they
must be basel on the broadcast pos
sible knowledge of all conditions, both
at home and abroad, affecting spe
cial industry
Next in Importance to the topic OF
corporate control and Industrial inves
tigation is that of immigration, OF
which Secretary Metcalf treats al
length. The bureau of immigration is
under his supervision and the recon
mendations of the commissioner gen
eral of that bureau are frequently in
: dorsed
THE important feature is thai
more than million aliens have beer
added to our population in the course
, of twelve months, fact that sug
, gests the necessity of CONSIDERING
should not be adopted SO to limit the
number of arrivals as to lessen the
obvious dangers from our alien pop
ulation increasing more rapidly thar
it can be assimilated." says the sec
rotary.
"Various suggestions have, beer
made with this end in view, but there
is none which promises so effectively
to control the actual number of ar
rivals as the suggestion of the com
missioner general that the numbel
brought on any vessel should be lin
/, tied so as to bear fixed ratio to the
tonnage of the vessel"
Secretary Metcalf also makes thi:
suggestion:
= 81 desire also to urge upon con
gress, as recommended by the com
: missioner general. the necessity of 10
a eating at foreign ports of embarkatio1
I medical and immigrant inspectors a!
i means of preventing the departure
t for the United States Of those VIII,
are excluded by law"