The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-10
BILL ID PROTECT REPORTS ON CROPS Heflin-Craig Measure Is Result
 of Consolidation NO LoopH0Le FOR ESCAPE Holmes and Hyde Cases Are Recalled, But When They Divulged Crop
 Reports There Was No
 Punishment.
NO LooPAoLE FOR ESCAPE

Washington May 9.-(Special 1.-The spe- cal committee of the committee on agri- culture appointed to consider the bills relating to giving out of reports on crop conditions, acreage and ginning by the department of agriculture, and preventing the giving, out of false reports or of di- vulging the reports before the time pro- vided for by law, agreed to consolidate the bills introduced by MT. Hefiin and MT. Craig, and report them as one bill, to be known as the Hefin-C Craig bill, which is as follows:
 'That it shall be unlawful for any per son in the employment O. the government of the United States to fivulge, cause to be divulged, or in any way to give out or cause to be given out, publish, or make known any information, statistical or otherwise, acquired by virtue of his em- ployment by or official position with any department of the government of the United States regarding the reports on crop conditions, prior to the hour that the crop estimate is published as is now required by law.
 Sec. 9 That it shall be unlawful for any person in the employment of the oov- ernment of the United States to diyuge or cause to be divulged, or in any way to give out or cause to be given out, pub fish or make known, any information, sta- tistical or otherwise, obtained by virtue of his employment by, or official position with the government of the United States, regarding the amount of cotton ginned prior to the day fixed py law for the publication of the ginners' report obtained by the census department.
 "See 8. That it shall be unlawful for any officer or employe of the United States of America whose duties require the collection, compilation or report of statistics or information relative to the products of the soil, knowingly to col feet, compile for issuance of issue, any false statistics or information relative to such products.
 s'Sec. A. That any person who violates any of the provisions of this act shall. upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than $10,000 and also by impris- onment for a period of not more than five years"
 There were three bills introduced, the third one by MT. Sidney of Kentucky The Hefin and Stanley bills both dealt with the question of giving out infofma- ton before the proper time, and the Craig bill with the matter of compiling or issuing false reports on crop conditions The committee decided to adopt the Hef- lin and Craig bills and consolidate them, which was done and favorable re- port of the same made.
 It is generally conceded that this plll will become law, as it is recognized by all parties that the lack of such a statute is a serious difficulty in our laws. For the want of such q law Holmes and Hyde who were proven in court to have been guilty of receiving large amounts for inn proper manipulations of the crop reports could not be convicted, and, as the law now stands, there is no penalty fixed for such wrongdoing.
 It is commonly understood now that Hyde is living in luxury in London on the money gotten by him from New York brokers for such manipulation as are punished in this bill, and it was proven in court that Holmes received upwards of $4o,O00 from similar sources for like manipulations.
 This bill is likely to pass this Congress and will be a very great protection to the farmer in which wrongful acts of the officers and employees in the depart ment in connection with interruptions gamblers on Wall street. w. $.