Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-13
NAGEL SUGGESTS
BROADER PLANS
Secretary Of Commerce and Labor
Would Extend Scope of Bureau
Of Corporations.
ALL SUCH COMPANIES TO REPORT
Life of Interstate Organizations Must
Be Nationalized.
BUSINESS SECRETS SAFEGUARDED
Broad Work for Country that Has
Been Specific So Far.
LAW ON WHITE SLAVE TRAFFIC
Need of Efficient Regulations to
stamp out This Trade Declared
ImperRtiVe--A Year of
Progress.
Life of Interstate Organizations Must
Be Nationalized.
BUSINESS SECRETS SAFEGUARDED
Broad Work for Country that Has
Been Specific So Far.
LAW ON WHITE SLAVE TRAFFIC

WASHINGTON. Dec. 12-The report Of
Secretary Nage Of the Department OF
Commerce and Labor, made public today,
contains two very important recommends
tlons. The first is for the development and |
expansion Of the bureau Of corporations |
into an agency to perform for the whole |
country what it has been doing in specific |
instances Secretary Nagels recommends |
tions IN that respect suggest agency to |
which the management and condition Of all !
Interstate corporations must be reported !
The need Of properly safeguarding business
secrets IS recognized and would be pro-
vided for The secretary draws the com |
parison that the commercial and financial |
life of the nation has become nationalized
and suggests that IL is now in order TO ma |
tionalize its corporate life.
Another important recommendation made |
by Secretary Nage in his report is Tor
broader and more efficient laws to stamp
out the white slave traffic While the !
present statutes prohibit the importation
of women for immoral purposes, there is
no law against transporting them from
one state to another within the borders OF
the country The secretary says, 1t must
be realized that the white slave trade is
an organized, a developed business, and
that tighter laws are needed to enable the
federal authorities to fight 1t successfully.
Reviewing the work of It's sixteen differ
ent divisions and bureaus, the report tells
of the vast ramiflcations Of its work, and
tells the history OF year of progress in
all directions
Much Work to Do.
The secretary recommends the further
development of the bureau of corpora
tions At the end Of this fiscal year, the
department stin has on hand investiga-
tions of the lumber and steel industries,
the international Harvester company,
concentration OF water power ownership,
transportation by water in the. United
States II was stin continuing its inVes-
LEGATIONS OF the tobacco industry, the
operation of cotton exchanges and state
systems of corporate taxation.
On the subject of government control OF
the financial and industrial forces, Secre-
tary Nagel says some terse things ana
makes some important recommendations
The prime need Of two things is empha-
Sized First, reliable information upon
which the government may take legisla-
tive and administrative action and. second
reliable information in a concise and
available form to serve for the basis of
public opinion. The first step to be TAKEN
no says is an advance toward complete
system for obtaining and making public
this information. The bureau of corpora
ations has demonstrated the value or this
beyond doubt. in the limited way which
its force and money available would allow
statutory Publicity.
But Secretary Nagel believes the time
las ccme for q far wider and more COM
plete application of those principles This
the secretary recommends can be accom-
pl,shed only by a definite federal system
of statutory publicity by which all Inn
portant corporations engaged in interstate
commerce win be obliged to report at
stated intervals to federal agency such
as the bureau OF corporations, the essential
facts regarding their organization, manage
mont and condition, This, the secretary
believes, will accomplish for the whole
country what the bureau Of corporations
has been doing in specific cases.
This work must be carried on by the
federal government, the secretary believes.
because Il Is the Only agency which has
jurisdiction commensurate with the matter
Il has to consider ard which can prescribe
uniform conditions for the entire country.
ANY attempt TO solve the question
through state action has been and neces-
sarily will be futile" says the report, mo
considerable number OF states can ever
agree on establishing or maintaining any
one system. No state alone can make its
system effective. In financial and COM
mercial conditions the country has become
nationalzed. It's legal regulations should
also be national
Reports from Corporations.
An outline of the system the secretary
recommends would compel regular reports
from all Interstate commerce corporations
and their publication in form which would
safeguard business secrets,
In the bureau OF immigration and natural
izauon the need OF facilities TO meet grow
ing conditions is recognized improvements
ave been made In the immigration sta
tions all over the country and viii be
carried on. In all during the fiscal year
94,28 aliens entered the country and 5l
per cent Of them came from Russia and
the countries OF southern Europe totai
OF ~ per cent OF ilhterates is shown by
the report which is something OF an in
crease over the previous year The COMING
OF these aliens, however, brought si7. Ssl. So,
into the country and they possessed ar
average OF $3.50 each. 1t is calculated BIZ
tho department however, that 80 per cont
OF ali these aliens were assisted with
mcLey TO reach this country.
In one portion OF mis- report Secretary
Nagel takes up the white slave traffic
Through the watchfulness of Immigration
Inspectors, large number of prosecu.
tions have been begun by the Department
OF Justice Where those prosecution,
have covered the direct importation OF
women for immoral purposes the prosecu
tions have been considerably successful
The decision OF the supreme court n
the Keller case whish gave TO the state,
measure OF authority to deal with thei
own situation, Mr. Nagel says has EN-
barrassed the federal authorities in thai
Aireotion.