The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-04-05
DEMAND FOR
FINDINGS
Continued from Page One

FE#
charge Of this investigation under the
secretary OF the department of com
merce and labor. The petition calls
attention to the fact that this report
was only a partial one and failed to
give the lumber producers 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
conclusion as seem likely to be those
against lumber dealers who have been
brought into court"
Secretary Nagel in transmitting to
the president to answer to the lum-
Der mems complaint. a y the report
Of the bureau of corporations was not
only important and relevent to the Is
sue involved in the resolutions Of con-
gross, but that the amount of standing
timber and the concentration of its
ownership were absolutely essential to
the discussion Of the questions involv-
ed. The secretary says the bureau
found a wholly unexpected and a very
remarkable degree Of concentration of
standing timber. 1t thus applied a
second and absolutely essential 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 it is
now carrying on also IN investigation
into competitive methods, a report Of
which will be presented as soon as
pssible, Referring further to the
statement of the lumber men that the
first and only report made by the de-
partment OF commerce and labor was
the report in 1911 on standing timber,
Secretary Nagel says the bureau has
also for some time been carrying on
Investigations into the actual course
Of the prices of lumber, and this too
will be presented as oon as finished.
incidentally Mr.. Nagel points out the
difficulty Of gathering his informa-
ton.
Secretary Nagel says, in reply to the
demand for a verdict, that it would be
wholly impracticable for the bureau
and entirely out of its jurisdiction, to
render a verdict on the existence of
the so-called lumber trust or conspir-
acy in restraint of 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 a finding of guilty or not
guilty, would be an absurdity in it
self, and would establish a most m
~barrassing precedent.
Manager Bronson. in the letter to
President Taft. under date of March /,
takes up seriatim the subjects as stat
ed and commended on by the secretary,
and says that Notwithstanding the
Importance of the inquiry as to the
standing timber, it is not responsive
that the investigation of the lumber
industry should be conducted with the
particular object of ascertaining the
existence of n combination, trust
agreement or contract in restraint of
commerce.
Manager Bronson expresses the hope
that the investigation into competitive
methods, which Secretary Nagel says
is under way, will be presented as soon
as possible.
Regarding the request for a YER
! dict, Manager Bronson says they felt
that Secretary Nagel's criticism is I'M
worthy that the Indictment mentioned
in the letter to the president was re-
ferred to as a moral Indictment, and
that the verdict asked for is of similar
character.