Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-12-06
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
And LABOR.
Deals With Question of the Eight
Hour Law.

Hour Law.
The secretary OF the department Of
commerce and labor has had under his
immediate supervision the application
of the merit system of promotion TO a
large number Of employees, and his
discussion of this method OF promo
lions based on actual experience I com
mend to the attention Of congress.
The Census Bureau.
The taking OF the census has pro-
ceeded with pTomptness and efficiency.
I The secretary believes. and | concur
| that it will be more thorough and ac-
curate than any census which has
| heretofore been taken, but ii is not per-
/ feet. The motive that prompts men
/ with false civic pride to induce the
/ padding of census returns in order to
/ increase the population of particular
/ city has been strong enough to lead
! to fraud in respect to a few cities in
/ this country. and ! have directed the
/ attorney general to proceed with all
/ the vigor possible against those who
! are responsible for these frauds.
They have been discovered and they
will not interfere with the accuracy
/ of the census, but it is of the highest
! Importance that official inquiry of this
/ sort should not be embarrassed by
/ fraudulent conspiracies in some private
/ or local interest.
/ Bureau of Lighthouses.
/ The reorganization OF the lighthouse
/ board has effected Il very considerable
saving in the administration, and the
estimates for that service for the pres
ent year are S42S, 600 less than for the
/ preceding year In addition three tend
/ ers for which appropriations were
| made are not being built because they
/ are not at present needed for the serv
/ ice. The secretary is now asking for
/ a large sum for the addition Of lights
+ and other aids to the commerce of the
seas, including Il number in Alaska.
The trade along that coast is becoming
so important that l respectfully urge
the necessity for following his recon-
mendGtion.
Bureau Of Corporations.
The commissioner of corporations
has just completed the first part of
report on the lumber industry in the
/ United States. This part does not
treat of the question Of a trust or com
| binauon in the manufacture of lumber,
a subject TO be dealt with later. The
commissioner does find, however, a
condition in the ownership of the
standing timber OF the United States
other than the government timber that
calls for serious attention.
The direct investigation made by the
commissioner covered an area which
contains so per cent of the privately
owned timber of the country. His re
port shows that one-half Of the timber
in this area is owned by 200 individ-
uals and corporations, that Il per cent
is owned by three corporations and
that there is very extensive interown-
erShip OF stock as well as other cir
cumStances. all pointing to friendly re-
lations among those who own q ma
jority of this timber, a relationship
which might lead to a combination for
the maintenance of price that would
be very detrimental to the public in
terest and would create the necessity
of removing all tariff obstacles to the
free importations of lumber from other
countries.
Bureau of Fisheries.
am glad to note in the secretary's
report the satisfactory progress which
is being made in respect to the preser-
walton of the seals Of the Pribilof
islands. Very active steps are being
taken by the department OF state TO
secure an arrangement which shall pro-
tect the PribilOf herd from Nhe losses
due to pelagic sealing. Meantime the
government has secured seal pelts OF
the bachelor seals (the killing of which
does not interfere with the mainte-
nance Of the herd, from the sale Of
which next month it is expected to
realize about S450,O00, a sum largely
in excess of the rental paid by the
lessee of the government under the
previous contract.
Coast and Geodetic Survey.
The coast and geodetic survey has
been engaged in surveying the coasts
of the Philippine archipelago. This is
a heavy work because of the extended
character of the coast line in those is
lands, but I am glad TO note that
about half of the needed survey has
been completed. So large a part OF
the coast line of the archipelago has
been unsurveyed as to make naviga
ton IN the neighbOrhood of q number
of the islands. and especially on the
east side. particularly dangerous.
Bureau of Labor.
The commissioner of labor has been
actively engaged in composing the dtf-