The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1909-12-15
SECRETARY NAGEL RECON-.
MENDs FEDERAL ACTION TO
FIND FACTS.
FIGURES ON IMMIGRATION
A Special Department to Take Up
This Work Is Needed, He Believes.
State Action on Such Lines Not
Effective.


20 create department OF the govern.
mont which would do for the whole
country what the bureau of corpora.
tions has been doing in specific in.
stances, and compel complete public
ity in the management of interstate
corporations, is one OF the recon.
report of the secretary OF commerce
and labor, Charles Nagel, made pub
lie tonight. Newer and tighter laws
to stamp out the white slave trade,
which the secretary says is an or
ganized and extensive business. also
are recommended.
The secretary recommends the fur.
ther development of the bureau OF
corporations. The department still
has on hand Investigations OF the
lumber and steel industries. the In
ternational Harvester company, con.
centration of water power ownership
and transportation by water in the
United States. 1t still Is continuing
| it's investigations OF the tobacco In.
dustry. the operation OF cotton ex.
changes and state systems OF corpor.
! ate taxation.
The prime need OF two things Is
emphasized. First, reliable informa-
! ton upon which the government may
take legislative and administrative ac.
tion regarding industrial institutions; !;
second, reliable information in a con.
else and available form to serve for
the basis of public opinion. The
first step to be taken, he says, is
an advance toward complete sys-
tenn for obtaining and making public
this information. The bureau OF cor.
porations has demonstrated the value
OF this beyond doubt, In the limited
way that its force and money avail.
able allowed.
But Secretary Nagel believes the
time has come for a far wider and
more complete application OF those
principles. This. the secretary says
can be accomplished only by def.
mite federal system OF statutory pub.
licity, by which all important cor
porations engaged in interstate com
merce will be obliged to report at
stated intervals to Il federal agency,
such as the bureau OF corporations,
the essential facts regarding their
organization. management and con.
diton. This. the secretary believes.
will accomplish for the whole coun-
try what the bureau OF corporations
has been doing in specific cases.
Any attempt to solve the question
through state action has been and
necessarily will be futile" the report
says. NO considerable number of
states can ever agree on establishing
or maintaining any one system. No
state alone can make Its system eff
fectiye. In financial and commercial
conditions the country has become
nationalized. Its legal regulation
should also be national"
An outline OF the system the secre-
tory recommends would compel reg.
ular reports from all Interstate com
merce corporations and their publi-
cation in a form that would safeguard
business secrets.
In the last fiscal year 944,235 aliens
entered the country and 67 per cent
of them came from Russia and south.
ern Europe. A total OF % per cent
OF illiterates Is shown by the report,
which is something of an increase
over the previous year. The coming
OF these aliens brought sl7,33l ,2S2
| 1nto the country. They possessed
an average OF $23.5O each, 1t is cal
culated by the department that 80 per
/ cent OF those aliens were assisted
/ with money TO reach this country