El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-01-03
Secretary Of Commerce and
Labor Says Federal Con
troll Is Next Step.

Washington, D. C., Jan. 3.-"The
mere breaking up Of large combina-
tons into separate parts by no means
meets the whole trust question: says
secretary Nagel, OF the department of
commerce and labor in his annual re-
port transmitted to president Taft.
secretary Nagel declares that the
Sherman law has been proved TO be
an effective statute beyond all doubt
and that a degree of combination of
capital is quite necessary, but he adds
that the supreme court decisions in the
Standard Oil and tobacco cases have
demonstrated that me next step in
the control Of great industrial cor
porauons viii be the creation OF 2 per-
manent federal agency.
How such control shall be exercised:
whether by commission, federal incOr-
pOrauon or other means, which have
been advocated recently by judge FL
bert H. Gary, George w Perkins and
other financiers before the senate
committee which has been conducting
hearings to determine what changes
would be desirable in the antitrust
laws, secretary Nagel does not def
nitely say. He faVors, however, a de-
Velopmeut Of the powers and scope OF
the bureau Of corpora tons
A certain degree Of combination of
capital is admittedly essential to the
carrying on of our great business en-
terpr1ses, says secretary Nagel. ITO
control properly such necessary cOmbi-
nations we must have some admins
trative federal office or commission
which shall make this work its busi-
ness.
I'VE must have permanent author
ity which shall by steady and cOntinu-
GUS supervision and publicity safe
guard the public interests and at the
same time allow fun scope for neces-
sary and proper business efficiency
and development
The decisions of the supreme court
in the Standard Oil and American To-
baccO company cases havee brought
forcibly to the public attention a fact
repeatedly presented in the reports Of
this department-th imperative need
for the positive administrative regula-
ton of great industrial corporations.
The recent decisions and reOrgani-
cations which followed have made il
clear that another imperative step re-
mains to be taken and that this is the
establishment, by appropriate legisla-
ton, Of a broad system OF supervision
and publicity for all those Industrial
and commercial organizations engaged
in Interstate and International bust
ness
Whether this shall be done by
means of federal Incorporation or by a
federal office or commission eXercis-
ing powers of regulation and super
vision may be a secondary question.
The first consideration appears to be
the establishment of permanent adj
illustrative publicity. regulation and
supervision. TIE time is peculiarly ripe
for such action. Public opinion and
the views Of many corporation mana
gers are as one"
Secretary Nagel recommends that the
bureau of corporations be developed to
take up the form of supervision he
suggests Tt would be but a logical
expansion of the bureaus operations
and policy, which he says. have relied
solely on publicity for the last eight
years and have demonstrated beyond
question what a system Of permanent I
supervision can do.
Secretary Nagel refers in passing to
recent criticism of the immigration
service He says the bureau has en-
to obey the general mandate /