Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-27
Value of the Bureaus Work.

IN protesting against the proposed ac-
tlon OF Congress, it is stated by the man
u1acturers familiar with its work that the
bureau or manufactures is a .'constr1,c
tive and promotive influence of far great
CT value thah Is generally understood
anu mas Deen each year, with a limked
appropriation compared to its work Hc
comprising great results The inforr -
tlon 1t secures and sends out if carefI
followed cannot but help to Increase ~.
commercial expansion. The hurean
manufactures is about the only branch!
OF government business man can feef1
Is lmpartially his
1t is suggested that the commercial in
terestS or this country will resent the
policy which is implied in the destruction
OF TINS bureau, and sooner or later there
Will be all expression of sentiment over
the country on this particular matter
Wnich cannot fail to secure the attention
of Congress-
Attention is also invited to the fact that
the latest census figures indicate that tie
total OF the manufactured products of the
United States amounts in value TO over
$2O,OOO,OOO,OOO For the purely promotive
work in the Department of Commerce and
Labor expenditures in the bureau of
manufactures have totaled about $16O 600
year. Compared with the millions of
dollars which are expended in the De-
partment of Agriculture to promote the
interests of the farmers, it is suggested
that this amount is ridiculousy small,
products is about 50, 600 600 0OO annually.
| 1t is recognized that although the bureau
| of manufactures has been very active in
| promoting foreign trade, the field which
| is open to that Office in the promotion of
| domestic commerce is relatively much
| more important.
Through it's service of commercial
| agents, which, under recent changes in
| the law, may now be used i'm promotive
work in the United States, the bureau
| of manufactures has Instituted investi-
| cations related to commercial promotion
| and has now number of agents at work
in the field throughout the United States
Work Now Being Carried On.
| One subject of research on which the
Office is now engaged is a careful study
of the local commercial promotion service
| accomplished by chambers of commerce.
| boards of trade and similar associations
| Much extremely useful work is being car
| ried on by these associations, and the
| bureau expects to publish an important
/ bulletin in regard to this work, which,
| when distributed. will tend to increase
| the effectiveness of commercial bodies in
all parts of the country. Another inves-
| tigation which is in progress covers the
| subject of packing cotton for domestic
| and foreign shipments, where, under
| present methods. loss estimated at mil
| lions of dollars annually is suffered ow-
| ing to defects in the present practice by
| shippers of this staple.
| Secretary Nagel has often stated in
| public that the bureau of manufactures
| has never yet been given a total appro-
priation equal to the amount of money
| which the German government expends
| annually in one or two cities of the
| United States alone for commercial pro-
/ motion service. The United States is
| now engaged in a vigorous struggle for
| its share Of the commerce of the world,
and proposal to cripple the equipment
| of this country in its competition with
other active commercial and manufacture
ing nations appears to many manufac-
turers and exporters to be distinct
blunder.