The daily sentinel., 1909-12-07


arises, due to the absence of any !
central Independent authority. that
there must be a complete reorgan-
ization of the board. | concede the
advantage of keeping in the system |
the rigidity of discipline that the
presence OF naval and military Off
GERS in charge insures but unless the |
presence of such officers in the board |
can be made consistent with re-
sponsible executive head that shall |
have proper authority, i recommend |
the transfer of control over the light |
houses TO a suitable civilian bureau. |
This is in accordance with the judg- |
ment of competent persons who are |
familiar with the workings of the |
present system. ] am confident that |
reorganization can be effected !
which shall avoid the recurrence of
friction between members, instances |
of which have been officially brought |
to my attention. and that by such re- I
organization greater efficiency and !
a substantial reduction in the expense
of operation can be brought about.
Consolidation of Bureaus.
Il request congressional authority |
to enable the secretary of commerce |
and labor to unite the bureaus of |
manufactures and statistics. This |
was recommended by a competent |
committee appointed in the previous |
administration for the purpose of |
suggesting changes in the interest of |
economy and efficiency, and is re-
quested by the secretary.
The White Slave Trade.
Il regret TO have to say that the |
Investigations made in the bureau |
OF immigration and other sources of |
information lead to the view that
there is urgent necessity for addi- |
tional legislation and greater execu- |
tive activity to suppress the recruit !
ing of the ranks of prostitutes from !
the streams of immigration into this |
country-an evil which, for want of
better name, has been called the !
white slave trade l believe ii to be |
constitutional to forbid, under PEN
atty, the transportation of persons
for purposes of prostitution across
national and state lines; and by APP
propriating a fund of $4,000 to be
used by the secretary of commerce
and labor for the employment of spe-
cial inspectors, 1t will be possible to
bring those responsible for this trade
to indictment and conviction under
! federal law.
Bureau of Health.
For a very considerable period n
movement has been gathering
| strength, especially among the mem
bers of the medical profession, in
favor of concentration of the in
struments of the national govern
ment which have TO do with the pro-
motion of public health. In the ma
| ture of things, the medical depart
ment of the army and the medical
department of the navy must be kept
separate. But there seems to be no
reason why all the other bureaus and
offices in the general government
which have to do with the public
health or subjects akin thereto,
should not be united in bureau to
be called the bureau of public
health. This would necessitate the
transfer of the marine hospital serv-
| ice to such a bureau. | am aware
that there is a wide field in respect
to the public health committed to the
states in which the federal govern
ment cannot exercise jurisdiction.
But we have seen in the agricul-
tural department, the expansion into
widest usefulness of a department
| giving attention to agriculture when
that subject is plainly one over which
| the states properly exercise direct
Jurisdiction. The opportunities Of
fered for useful research and the
spread of useful information, In re-
gard to the cultivation of the soil
and the breeding of stock and the
solution of many of the intricate
problems in progressive agriculture
have demonstrated the wisdom of es-
tablishing that department. Similar
reasons, of equal force, can be given
for the establishment of a bureau of
health that shall not only exercise the
police jurisdiction of the federal gov
ernment respecting quarantine, but
which shall also afford an opportun-
ity for investigation and research by
competent experts into questions of
health affecting the whole country
or. important sections thereof. ques-
tions which. In the absence of fed
eral governmental work, are not like
ly to be promptly solved.
Civil Service Commission.
THE work of the United tSates
civil service commission has been
performed to the general satisfaction
of the executive officers with whom
the commission has been brought into
official communication. The volume
of that work and its variety and eN-
tent have under new laws, such as .he
census act, and new executive orders.
greatly increased. The activities of