Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1912-01-05
FEDERAL INCORPORATION.

/
Federal Incorporation license of companies /
doing an interstate or international business was
favored BIZ George ". Perkins when he appeared |
before the senate committee on interstate com
MERGE two weeks ago. He also recommended pub |
licitv. the Imprisonment of individuals and spe-
cial Investigation of the aims of such corpora
tioBS. He told the committee that domestic trade
was not expanding as it should because corpora
tions did not know where they stood until they
had been tried in the courts; and that other coun-
tries were protiting greatly by this lack of-enter
prise in the United States.
What Mr. Perkins recommends is nothing more
than is done in other countries. In Canada, Great
Britain, France and Germany corporations
eeve licenses or charters from the central gov
eminent of the country and their operations are
directed by explicit laws governing joint stock
companies. They labor under uncertainty as
to their rights, and in some cases, in Canada
for instance opinion doubtful law can be
obtained from the supreme court without waiting
for contentious litigation to settle the question.
Mr.. Perkins points out that now col
lecting taxes from corporations, which in itself is
the first step in establishing the principle of pub
licity between corporations and government 1t
ought not TO be unwse difficult, therefore to
| Immediately expand the powers of the department
of commerce and labor with regard to publicity
and control sufficiently to create board of con
| troll with power to license such interstate com
panies as, in the Judgment of such board, are
| clearly working for and not against public in
! terest. In other words i'll such cases substitute
IA board of this sort for long -drawnout law suits
| This would have the immediate effect of placing
any company able to secure such a license in posi-
/ ton where it would know that it was proceeding
along lines not in violation of national laws or
federal authority Such concerns as could not or
did not wish to meet this test would then have
no right to complain if they were proceeded
against under the Sherman law
In this matter Mr. Perkins believes immediate
relief could be provided. At the same time the
questions surrounding the Sherman law and ma
tonal Incorporation for interstate industrial com
panieS would be under an investigation that
would be proceeding in calm and orderly man
ner, with view to reaching ultimately a per
manent solution of the whole question Mean
while uncertainty would be dspelled yet we
would only be building up our present depart
ment of commerce and labor and bureau of cor
poratons into live, vital bureau-much IN the
5 same way that gradually built up the inter
E state commission by extending and charging its
powers from time to time.
$ At the present time three large corporations
which push their export trade actively and thus
j bring money into the country are either indicted
5 or threatened with prosecution All three are
' directly affected by the completion of German
corporations fostcred by the extraordinary liberal
G cartel" law Of that country All their foreign
l competitors 90 ahead without doubt as to
t their position; but these American companies are
| NOW ehudHStftd ny theii PdhiotiN dotifi'N III
foreign markets Part of the cases against them
rests on the ground that they have sold their
t merchandise abroad for less than the domestic
4 price Such charge would be laughed at in any
G foreign country.
For years Germany sold beet sugar in Eng
land at less than the domestic price, and the
German government foStered this trade by paying
L ounteS We the other hand, would make
5 our industries pay fines for doing such thing.
0 BY harrying our big manufacturing corporations
we are aiding other countries to induce them to
G establish factories abroad They have two
Y reasons instead Of for erecting plants and
making goods abroad which they have hitherto
turned out in this country to the special adval
tage of the American workman
/ Mr.. Prekns appeals to congr SIS to study con
ditionS abroad and at home and then try to do
1 something that will help instead of hurting both