The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-10-20


To the bureau OF corporations is as
signed the duty OF examining the oper-
stions OF interstate corporations, other
than common carriers. This bureau
uses as Its big stick" a weapon
which Herbert Knox Smith. the CON-
missioner OF corporations. terms EFF
hcient publicity" The bureau exam
ines the records OF all corporations
doing an interstate business. and In
important cases makes voluminous re-
ports showing all the details OF a
great business. Notable examples OF
this are It's Investigations OF the beef
trust, the Standard Oil Co.. and the
tobacco trust. II also has investigat-
ed the steel and iron business OF the
country and many other important in
dustries. Most OF the big prosecu-
lions OF trusts have been based on
data gathered by this bureau.
Upon the bureau OF labor has de-
volved the task of gathering Stats
tical and other information relative to
labor problems. Ii does not aim to
remedy the ills OF the laboring man,
but to gather data which will enable
other agencies 10 act intelligently In
trying to cure them. The bureaus re-
ports deal with labor's relations to
capital, its hours. its earnings, and
means for promoting the material. So
cial. and moral prosperity OF working
men and women. Its data relative to
the relation OF wages and prices con-
stitutes one OF the bases upon which
the tariff legislation OF the country
is formulated. IL has studied such
questions as working mems insurance,
benefit funds. the employment of
women and girls In telegraph and tel
ephone work, retail prices. child la
Dor. industrial accidents. and charity
relief II also has investigated the
relation OF dusty occupations and tu-
berculosis.
The bureau OF immigration and nat
uralization has charge OF the coming
of aliens into the United States and
OIL their efforts TO become full-hedged
American citizens. One person In
every three In the United States 10 AN
immigrant or the child OF an immi-
grant Frequently 5000 immigrants
arrive In one day. and upon some oc-
casions the average is 5000 day for
full month. This gives the inspec-
tors only two minutes to each 1mmi-
grant and a question must be asked
and answered nearly every second.
Only one immigrant out or thousand
is excluded. However, the lines OF re-
st-iction are being drawn tighte
every year The head taxes collected
from Immigrants more than support
both the immigration and naturaliza-
ton services Of the country. AS the
law now stands an immigrant may
come into the United States IL he Is
not afflicted with a loathsome dis
ease or is not likely TO become a puo-
lie charge The statistics OF prisons
and eleomosynary institutions show
large proportion Of alien inmates. and
the immigration service hopes TO have
the law changed SO that all who are
economically undesirable" may be
excluded. The total money brought
into the United States by immigrants
amounts to about $l7,O00,OO0 a year,
or nearly s23 a head.
The heavy immigration from south
ern Europe Is attributed mainly to
the promotion methods OF the steam
ship agencies OF Europe and the pro-
fessional money-lenders. They make
large profits out Of the immigrant bus
mess, and even IL they have to carry
some OF the immigrants back. 1t still
leaves enough profit TO make the bush
ness worth while The immigration
service wants law requiring all
steamship companies to make oath
that they will not encourage immi-
grafton, with refusal Of clearance pa
pers as a penalty for It's violation
One OF the most troublesome Things
with which the immigration service
has to deal Is the smuggling OF Chi
nese into the United States. Some
times they slip in from Canada and
Mexico In sealed refrigerator cars or
in the refrigerators OF dining cars. Al
other times they come hidden In coal
bunkers. chain lockers. forepeaks, and
other unexpected parts OF ocean-going
vessels. The immigration bureau es-
Inmates that one-half Of the Chinese
now I'm the United States have no
right 10 be here under the law. There
Is also a division devoted to the nat
uralization OF immigrants. Another
division seeks TO furnish Immigrants
with information which will induce
them TO go to sections OF the country
where they can be readily assimilated
and used In the economic development
Of the nation.
The bureau OF the census is now
permanently organized institution
which gathers statistical data on every
sort OF subject. In an ordinary year
IL prints nearly four thousand pages
OF statistical information. It's In
quiries relate to such subjects as mar
riage and divorce, religious bodies.
manufactures, vital statistics, etc. In
the census years II gathers the stats
tics of population agriculture, mines,
uuarries. and manufactures. This re-
quires $50 supervisors and $4,000
enumerators. In the work OF tabulat-
ing the returns, 90.000,000 population
cards are used. and 20,000.000 family
cards. There are punching machines
which punch from one TO $50 holes In
each card. One hole tells the age OF
the person for which the card stands,
another the color. another the marital
condition etc. After the cards are
punched. they are fed into tabulating
machines, where an electrical connec-
ton is formed at each hole which
tells Just what information each card
contains. The machine then records
and tabulates this information. The
statistics OF agriculture are prepared
:. oaatou machines The statistical