The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1912-04-06
LUMDERMtN CALL
FOR PUBLICATION
OF LABOR FINDINGS

payment of greatly increased trans
portation charges.
Notwithstanding these sufficien
reasons ii is charged and seems t
have been commonly believed tina
the increase in prices at the mill
was due to the existence of CONTROL
ing combinations or agreement
commonly known as trusts an
that the lumber trust was and i
an oppressive entity"
The petition then says that re
sponsive to public charges Congress
adopted resolutions for an investi
cation of the lumber business. At
tention is particularly called to tn,
fact that the resolutions required
that the investigation should b,
conducted with the particular OBJ
ject" of ascertaining the existence
| of any combination. conspiracy
trust, agreement or contract in re
SLTdint OF commerce.
Investigations We're Unfounded
The petition says further that
while the effect of these resolutions
was injurious to the lumber indus
try. the investigation was welcome
by lumber producers who had long
been FESTIVE under the loose, I'M
founded and ignorant charges made
against them" and that every as.
sistance to the investigation was
given.
With this active and hearty CO.
operation of the lumber industry /.
was felt that the inquiry should
produce early results" On the con-
trary. says the petition, 1t was not
Until February 10, 1911, more than
our years after the passage Of the
~esolution, that any report what
aver was made by the commissioner
If corporations, who had charge Of
his investigation under the Secre-
airy of the Department OF Com
nerce 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 whc
Rave been brought into court"
Secretary Nagel, in transmitting
the president the answer to the
Number mems complaint, says the
'eport of the Bureau of Corpora
ions was not only important ant
elevant 10 the issue involved in th'
'esolutions of congress, but that tht
mount of standing timber and tbs
concentration of it's ownership werC
bsolutely essential to the discussion
f the questions involved. This
ocretary says the bureau found
holly unexpected and a very re
,arkable degree of concentration o
landing timber It thus applied
econd and absolutely essential basi'
act in the discussion Of lumbe
rices.
Bureau Considered Facts.
The Secretary says the Bureau O.
corporations has, considering t.
agnitude of the task, supplied
,ecesary facts as rapidly as posi-
lie; that it is now carrying on also
n investigation into competitive
Methods, a report on which will be
PRESENTED as soon as possible. Re-
erring further TO the statement OF
he lumber men that the first AM
,nly report made by the Department
If Commerce and Labor was the re-
,ort made on standing timber, Secre-
airy Nagel says the Bureau has also
or some time been carrying on in
gestigations into the actual course
VI the prices OF lumber, and this too
will be presented as soon as finished
incidentally, Mr. Nagel points out
he difficulty of gathering this in
ormation.
Secretary Nagel says, III reply IN
he demand for verdict, that IL
would be wholly impracticable for
he Bureau. and entirely outside OF
Is jurisdiction. to render verdict
n the existence of the so-callec
lumber trust or conspiracy in re-
| traint of trade. that the question
s strictly legal one. Any attemp
IN the part of the Bureau of Corpor
'tions, says the Secretary, to MAKE
such finding of guilty or no
utility, would be an absurdty in it
Iself, and would establish most EN-
barrasslng precedent
Bronson Letter
Manager Bronson, in the letter t
President Taft, under date of Marc
/, takes up seriatim the subjects a
stated and commented nm nv tn