The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-09-03

noes is taking on creative features The
post office. which was formerly mere
transInitter of letters. has Just started
postal saving banks, and IL is protect
ms the people from frauds throug n
the mails. The Department of War.
which Is the great national and in
ternational police force Of the govern
ment has taken charge of the Philip
pines and our other island possessions;
ana II Is doing all sorts of creative
work there. 1t is even building the
Panama Canal The treasury, which
was once only a machine for the collec-
ton ~ revenues. is now the founda-
ton OF our national banks. and it is
also erecting public buildings through
out ths country. The Department OF
Justice is watching your interests in
the restriction OF the corporations and
trusts. and the Department OF the Navy
mas many creative features. AS to the
Interior. that has become a great Con-
eFfat.on Eureau. which is conserving
our coal lands. reclairning our deserts
and draining the swamps. II is also
watching over the safety OF the men
in the mines. And last. as 10 the De-
nartment Of Agriculture. that has SO
largely 10 do with creative work that
IL Is Impossible to describe its ranlifl-
cations"
The Secretary Talks of His Job
But how about your own depart
ment Mr. Secretary" I asked You
too. are not idle. Give me an outline
OF your work in nutshell"
III is difficult to put the Department
OF Commerce and Labor in nutshell
was the secretarys reply. "A year or
so ago we were employing more men
than there are soldiers in the United
States army That was when the cen
sus was in full swing. We had last
year over 1000 enumerators and also
a temporary force of clerks number.
ing three or four thousand In add.
ton to the census, we have a dozen
different bureaus here at Washington
each of which has its own work
This department, which was origi-
nally organized to deal with commerce
and labor and especially with the cor
porations and the business interests
OF the United Stats. has taken in
many OF tae bureaus OF other depart
ments. The Bureau of Manufacturc
N time We shall have a corps of such
the development of our domestic and
foreign trade. and it publishes informa-
ton gathered by the corsuls. who are
under tho State Department We have
also our own special agents woh travel
over the world looking up trade and
trada openings They are gathering
information as to certain classes OF
exports. reporting tile demand for
them in each country and telling how
they should be handled and marketed
We publish daily reports from other
countries as to the opportunities offer
ed for American manufacturers. and
experts going from trade centre to
trade centre in the United States ana
advising the people how and wherS
to market their products abroad.
Our Foreign Trade.
I'm the same way we have inherited
the Bureau of Statistics from tho De-
partinent OF the Treasury This has
also to do with our foreign commerce,
and, together with the Bureau of Manu-
features. il gives vast amount OF
valuable information as to Uncle Sans
business and how II may be spread to
every part OF the Slobe. With other
things We are now making a directory
Of the names of business houses which
handle imported merchandise in all
foreign countries. The material for
this has already been gathered, and
the book Will he published some time
this year
LAS to what our foreign trade is
the Bureau OF Statistics will give you
figures Last year our exports were
just about LAS million dollars. or al
most six million dollars a day for
every working day OF the year. Our