The sun., 1907-10-31

Indispensable, but do little directly to
stimulate or expand foreign trade.
The Bureau Of immigration does nm
immense work in It's particular direction.
The Lighthouse Board. the Coast and
Geodctic Survey, the Steamboat Inspcc-
ton Service, the Bureau Of Fisheries, the
Bureau of Navigation and the Bureau Of
Standards have their special tasks, but
they have nothing to do with commercial
activities. There remains the sO-called
Bureau OF Manufactures. Under this
misleading title our foreign trade inter-
ests are presumably served. The law
creating the department declares, as its
basic provision, that it shall be the
province and duty Of said department to
foster. promote and develop the foreign
and domestic commerce, &c, Of the
United States" This work, by the same
act, liz intrusted to a bureau THAT of
manufactures whose province and duty
II shall be under the direction Of the
Secretary TO foster, promote and do
velop the various manufacturing indus
tries Of the United States. and markets
for the same at home and abroad" by
the collection and publication Of data
bearing upon the matter.
Here is the first weak point. and care
ful attention should be given to il at the
proposed conference. The promotion
and development of the various manu-
featuring industries Of the United states
may already be- regarded as in very COM
petent hands. namely. the proprietors Of
the industries. Statistical information
regarding them is gathered and tabulated
by the Census Bureau. The miscalled
Bureau of Manufactures should be abol-
ishcd and in it's place there should be
established Bureau Of Foreign Trade.
n title which would at once suggest its
work. The head of the bureau should
bc II competent man. and good salary
should bc paid to him and suitable
appropriation made for the work Of his
bureau. There should be complete
and effective organization which would
he an, active and aggressive force in
commercial affairs and focus Of inior-
nation on all foreign trade matters. u
should be able to tell any inquirer where
there is or might be a market for gimlets
or inkstands .or brass bedsteads or
structural steel and to post him on the
general and special conditions of various
markets. whether actual or potential. 1t
should be n bureau of up TO date infor-
nation regarding the trade and trade
conditions of every country of any COM
mercal importance i'm the world. All
this could be done for our business men
by an appropriation probably not ex-
ceeding per c,nt of the sum expended
in the interests If our farmers.
Three specific topics should be consid-
cred at this meeting
The transfer of the Bureau Of Corpora
tions to the Department of Justice.
The substitution Of Bureau Of For
eign Trade for the present Bureau Of
Manufactures.
The organization of this proposed
bureau on basis Of thorough efficiency
in the collection and dissemination of
information about trade. export and im-
port. with all other countries. and a. well
in.orlnati n about the commerce of all
other countries.
An enormous mass of this information
is now available. but there is need of in
telligent compilation. assimilation and
classification. Congress must appro,
pirate the really moderate sum Of money
necessary for the work if the business
community demands it.
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