Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-10-16
PRESIDENT FAVORS
REDF|ELD PROJECT
Plans to Increase Trade and
Gather Data as to Tariff
Conditions.
COMMERCIAL ATTACHES
AT DIPLOMATIC POSTS
Proposed That Bureau Of Depart
ment Should Do Work of a
Tariff Board.

Approval has been given by President
Wilson to Secretary Redfields plan Of
| reorganfzing the bureau of foreign and
| domestic commerce of the Department
of Commerce. This provides for giving
| the bureau an annual working fund of
$76O 600 instead of the present 1923, 800;
provides for an extensive system of COM
mercial attaches to American embassies
and legations abroad: for tariff section
| to do much the same work as the tariff
board. and for Investigations into the de-
| tails OF wages, comparative cost of liv-
| ing and cost of production at home and
abroad.
| This is the bureau which Secretary
Redfield has outlined in his speeches as
having broad powers of inquiry into va
| r.ous matters in connection with the
country's commerce, and which Majority
Leader Underwood referred to as the
| tariff board of the democratic party
that would investigate threats of reduc-
lions in wages after the tariff went into
operation.
Details Of Redfield Plan.
| The recommendations which Mr.. Red
| field submitted in a memorandum to the
| President and which have been approved
would provide that the bureau of
domestic and foreign commerce should
have a tariff section which would investi-
| gate whenever industrial changes shall
| make it essential the cost of producing
| articles at the time dutiable in the United
| States in leading countries where such
| articles are produced" details Of wages,
comparative cost of living and general
| business operations abroad.
| A force of fourteen commercial attaches
would be authorized under the plan to
act as a supplement to the consular serv-
| Department would be required to report
directly to the Secretary of Commerce
with refernce to commercial matters. The
| commercial attaches also would report
directly, to the Secretary of Commerce,
and would aid in the general work OF
| the bureau collecting information and as
sisting the promotion of commerce for the
United States.
Need of Capable Men.
| These attaches. the Secretary recon-
mends, should be men of demonstrated
commercial ability. preference being
given officers of the consular service Or
other branches of the executive service.
and who had shown marked ability III
commercial promotion
| 1--WE have spent several hundred mill
lion dollars preparing the Panama canal"
| Mr.. Redield said, land the nations OF
the world have been getting ready for Its
use while we have done almost nothing
actively to promote the commerce which
| should repay the nation, in part at least,
| for this vast outlay
Secretary Redfield said today that
committee of the United States Chamber
of Commerce had approved the plans.
Mr.. Redfield recommended that the COM
mercial attaches, although officers Of the
Department of Commerce, should be ac-
| credited through the State Department to
the various foreign embassies and mis-
and naval attaches are now accredited"
Outside of Civil Service.
They should be excepted from the re-
quirements of civil service examinations
according to Mr.. Redfeld. and should be
appointed by the Secretary of Commerce.
with reference to consuls." the memo
randum said, 1.-The enactment Of some law
is recommended authorizing the Secretary
of Commerce to receive direct from them
such reports as are usually made by con-
suls relative to the work of the Depart
ment of Commerce
Mr. Redfield proposes to set aside $780,
with Central and South America.
1.-The sum of approximately $760OO0,"
he wrote the President, suggested as
| necessary for the proper maintenance of
| this bureau, Is less than two hundredths
of one per cent of the commerce passing
under the review Of this bureau during
| the last year. The total force to be en-