The Washington times., 1913-12-16
RIGID TRUST PROBE
URGED BY REDFIELD
Secretary Advocates Fearless Approach of Big Business Prob
lems But Thinks Trusts Are Not Menace Thereby
Differing From Platform of His Party.

An ambitious plan of trust and big
business investigation, with many eco
nomic Inquiries directed at production
costs and fixed selling prices, are plan
ned by Secretary of Commerce Redfeld
TO bring his department to the fullest
scope Of activity in behalf of the people
and the country.
In his annual report to the President.
Secretary Redfield advocates a fearless
approach of the trust problem and the
economics of big business. He recon-
mends an inquiry int the efficiency Of
Industrial combinations; a reorganiza-
uon of the Bureau of Foreign and Dc
mestic Commerce to extend its actiVi-
Ties and benefits; a study Of economic
laws governing the fixing of retail
prices; a gathering of the underlying
facts regarding public service corora-
tons, and an inquiry into production
costs.
To accomplish all of these tasks the
Secretary recommends many increased
Appropriations for his department to
enlarge personnel and to obtain proper
equipment
Does Not Attack Trusts.
The Secretary makes no criticism of
big business, and does not attack the
trusts He admits that they might
"es NC a SOON
somewhat from the party platform.
He says there is room for difference of
opinion, and asks that the facts be
ascertained.
As an important issue with respect to
the Government service. the Secretary,
as department chief and a business
man, protests against conditions that
keep his department scattered in rented
IL
proposed new building for the depart
ment on the five squares" south of
Pennsylvania avenue, between Four
leenth and Fifteenth streets, be so
modified in plan as TO accommodate all
OF the bureaus of the department, with
me exception of the Bureau of Stand
ards. which must of necessity have a
separate establishment away from the
built up section of the city. He recon-
nends authority to contract for an
addition to the new rented structure at
Nineteenth street and Pennsylvania
avenue northwest to house the Census
ONCE. This would make a saving in up
keep and efficiency. The old Census
building is costly to maintain, intoler-
ably hot in the summer season, insani-
tary, and of such construction as to
expose to constant risk of fire the in
valuable papers stored therein
Claiming that the Government has
done practically nothing for the great
and growing foreign trade of the Uni
ted States, the Secretary asks funds
Tor the reorganization of the Bureau of
Foreign and Domestic Commerce TO
create corps of commercial attaches,
assigned to embassies of big commercial
countries, but paving heed only to COM
merce and industry and reporting
direct to the department of Com
merce. He asks that consuls report on
purely commercial matters direct to
the department; that the force of COM
mercial agents be enlarged, and that
the bureau again be enabled to gather
statistics Of domestic commerce, which
had recently been discontinued.
1T is deemed desirable the Secre-
tary said, that the Bureau of Corpo-
rations shall undertake a study of GER
tain fundamental economic laws on
which all our industries are based"
Question of Efficiency.
There is a growing question in the
minds of experienced and thoughtful
men as to whether the trust form of
organization is industrially efficient and
whether bigness and bulk are always
necessary to production at the lowest
cost 1t may be conceded that massing
OF capital and the grouping of great
quantities of labor have certain elements
Of efficiency. They permit research on
a large scale. They do away with eX-
cessive expense in the maintaining of
separate offices and numerous sales or
ganizations. They provide means for
the purchase and use of apparatus that
can only be employed where production
IS large. All these things and others
like them are unquestionably true and