The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-12-18
COMMERCE AND
LABOR REPORT
Work Of the Bureau Presided Over by
Young Garfield,
PURSUIT OF THE TRUSTS
LIST OF COMBINES UNDER m.
VEsTGGATloN.
PURSUIT OF THE TRUSTS

Department of Commerce and Labor
Bureau OF Corporations. washington
De-. /, 19O5-sir: / have the honor to
submit the report of the commissioners
or corporations for the fiscal year ended
June 30 1864
There has been no change in the or
gantc law under which the bureau was
organized. Further study OF the law
and practical work under il, confirm
tne opinions expressed in the first gen
erdi report of this bureau a. Co its pur-
pose and scope.
The total appropriations for the bu-
reau were Sl56220. OF this amount
SllSS55.6f has been expended. An un-
expended balance amounting To SOL
1910 was appropriated Tor the ftscaI
year 1906, which. together with tn,
regular appropriations. makes avail
2 bic for this year a total sum of SILT
S5940.
The number of persons employed by
The bureau on June 80. 1865, was seven
ty-tOur, an Increase OF twenty-five
since the preceding year. The methods
OF accounting, distribution OF expense
TO the various special investigations
aud responsibility for public property
Lave been so elaborated as 10 show the
exact cost of bureau work, and have
made it possible OF prevent unnecessary
expense. With the beginning OF the
new fiscal year the appr0pria lions IOl
the department made possible the dis
continuance of all regular details OF
employees from this bureau for depart
! mental work. The estimates for the
4 year ending June 80. 1907. are S2fS
D being an increase OF S30S20 SO, 10 Keel
'hsce with the growth of he bureau.
The work of the past year has again
emuha sized the ADVANTAGE Of lump-
sum approximation. II has been posi-
Bile TO employ men when and where
they. were needed. and at such salaries
as To command efficient men possessed
of SPECIAL or technical knowledge
The general legal work of the bureau
was the completion of the examination
or the subjects having 20 DO with the
powers and duties of the commissions
and the Interpretation of the organic
act, particularly as 10 the provision,
regarding the compulsory attendance
Of witnesses and production of evil
dence. A number of legal questions IN
directly affecting the work of the bu
reau have been considered and further
examine ton made of the state and ter
ritorial statutes relating to industrial
corporations and their organization
The digest of al antitrust Legislation
has been COMPLETED, and is now prac
tically ready for publication.
Special Investigations.
I. Beef Industry published por
zion OF this report dealt chiefly witt
the question of prices and the margin
OF profit i'm the packing business. In
The course of this investigation the bu
reau had also obtained much infOrma
rion bearing upon the question Of com
hiuation az between the large packins
companies. Al the time of the publ
cation of the report the department 90
Justice had under Amusement proceed
ines against certain packing companie
and their officers for viola zion of tht
federal antitrust law. II was obvious
therefore that the publication of thu
3nfOrnlstiCn- possessed by the bureau on
The subject was ineXpedient al tina
time. and accordingly by the direction
Of the president all the information
possessed hy the bureau on the subjec
of such combination was withheld from
publication. Although this fact was So
forth iu the published report, the fail
ure 10 treat therein of the question %
combination was the subject of crit
icism. 4 further ground of criticism
was the failure of the report 10 treat %
Determinations by means Of priyau
car companies. At the time of maxim,
the report. the extent and nature a
governments 4 ftllAlb4 over Nlltl COIL
uanieS was the subject OF pending lii
Eation, and f. would have been m
proper to anticipate the decision by as
euming I'm advance any jurisdiction
, over them.
other criticisms were directed at th
Il Eecuracv of the figures and conclusion
| reating 10 prices and profits, but onh
81 few tended 10 dispruVc any specih
statement in the report. and those par
q f.-rea "a #Hrr
lures secured by estimates. or take
from "a very few isolated instances, au
hence did not diSproVc the results stat
ed iU the report, which were based oI
general averages obtained from figure
covering the entire industry and TN
slaughter of several millions Of ami
mails I'm no case was any information
thus given that would DE of real as
EistanCe I'M correcting figures had the
been found Inaccurate
The Investigation davel0Ded the lin
. O. division between the work IT On
B department of justice and the bureau
s. The bureau. I'm Obtaining facts upo
which the president may make rec
concentration 10 congress. necessarily
win obtain facts which mighJ requir
prosecutions under The antitrust law
As stated i'm my former report sue
facts must be reported To The presidCu
for such action as he may deem ueces
sary 20 take. He may ind it ueCesSar
go report them 10 the attorney genera
The department of Justice and the bu
Teau often deal with the same cues
lions, but for different purposes and D.
81 different ways. The department of jus
lice has to do with prosecutions 70
violation OF IaW-th.s bureau obtain
1acts for congressional consideration
& abe lines of work may az times eros
/ Huu overlap. but they do not conflict
u Tn prosecutions are pending or intend
ci. The bureau would of course no. TAX
such acJion as would Interfere there
with. I'm this particular investigator
eases We're pending in the courts undG
l the direction OF the department of jus
4 tiCc. hence s. was not proper that TN
bureau should use it's powers iu sue
manner as would ombaTass the dv
parment Of Justice I'm IFS action Telat
ing To combination or other violatio
of law.
.. oil and Steel Indusuies-Th
house of representatives passed tW
other resolutions directing inquire
: intO the oil and steel industries .
both of these subjects the bureau ha
already made extensive inquiries. an
was ready 10 take up Immediately. {
addition 10 the general work, the spe
cirl lines indicated 10y the resolution,
Genuine