Bisbee daily review., 1912-04-06

The petition says further that while the effect of these resolutions was in- furious to the lumber industry, the in vestigation was welcomed by lumber producers who had long been restive under the loose unfounded and ignor. ant charges made against them,' and that every assistance to the inves- tigation was given.
 With this active and hearty CO., operation of the lumber industry 1t was felt that the inquiry should pro duce early results" On the contrary says the petition, it was not until February 13, 1911. more than four years after the passage of the reso- lution, that any report whatever was made by the commissioner of corpora tions, who had charge of this inyes- tigation under the secretary of the department of commerce and labor The petition calls attention to the fact that this report was only partial one and failed to give the lumber pro- ducers the verdict they desired
 The petition closes with an urgent request that the charges against the lumber manufacturers of the United States be as promptly brought to a
  against lumber dealers who have been brought into court
 Secretary Nagel in transmitting to the president the answer to the lum- Der mems complaint, says the report of the bureau of corporations was not only important and relevant to the issue involved i'll the resolutions of congress, but that the amount oi .as t ton of it's ownership were absolutely .essntial to the discussion of the ques- tions involved. The secretary says the bureau found a wholly unexpected and very remarkable degree of con centration of standing timber It thus applied a second and absolutely es- sential basic fact in the discussion of lumber prices.
 The secretary says the bureau of corporations has. considering the mag nitude of the task, supplied necessary facts as rapidly as possible; that il is now carrying on also an investiga- ton into competitive methods, a re- port on W hich will be presented as soon as possible. Referring further 10 the stat ement Of the lumber men that the first and only report made by the department of commerce and labor was the report in 1911 on siS"ding timber, Secretary Nagel says the bU- reau has also for some time been carrying on investigations into the actual course of the price of lumber and this too will be presented as soon as finished. Incidentally Mf. Nagel points out the difficulty of gathering this information.
 Secretary Nagel says, in reply to the demand for a verdict, that 1t would be wholly impracticable for the bureau, and entirely outside of its jurisdiction, to render a verdict on the existence of the so-called lumber trust or conspiracy in restraint or trade; that the question is strictly a legal one. Any attempt on the part of the bureau of corporations, says the secretary, to make such finding of guilty or not guilty, would be an absurdity in itself, and would estaG- fish most embarrassing precedent.
 Manager Bronson. in the letter to President Taft, under date of March 1, takes up seriatim the subjects c 5 stated and commented on by the sec retary, and says that notwithstanding the importance of the inquiry as to standing timber, it is not responsive t0 the part of the senate resolution that the investigation of the lumber industry should be conducted with the particular object of ascertaining the existence Of any combination, con- spiracy, trust agreement, or contract in restraint of commerce.
 Manager Bronson expresses the hope that the investigation into com petitive methods, which Secretary NageI says is under way, will be pre- sented as soon as possible.
 Regarding the request for verdict, Manager Bronson says they feel that Secretary Nagel's criticism is un- worthy: that the indictment men, toned in the letter to the president was referred to as a moral indictment. and that the verdict asked for is ot similar character.