The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-01-18
INVESTIGATION OF
 BIG PH|LANTHR0P|C INSTITUTIONS WILL
 BE MADE BY l. C. |.
Seek to Find If Government Should Regulate Efforts to Promote Public Welfare, Especially as Regards
 Wage-earners

l New York, January 17-Whether re-
 sources of approximately a quarter of billion dollars controlled by four great philanthropic institutions should be em. ployed without government regulation In the promotion of enterprises affect | ing public welfare, especially that of wage earners, is one of the questions which the Federal Industrial Relations commission will bring to the front here during it's forthcoming hearings In- vetigators have for the last two weeks been preparing data upon which to base the examination of witnesses.
 l The four institutions are the Roeke- feller, Sage, Cleveland (Ohio) and Bar on de Hirsch foundations, the latter represented in this country by Jacob H. Schiff. Their chief officers have been summoned to testify and will be asked it was. said today at the commission headquarters, to tell what policies gov ern the distribuation of their charities, their attitude toward labor problems, the nature of their schemes for social betterment; in sum, to disclose In de- tail the character of all their activi- ties
 In view of the fact that the immense resources of these institutions are chief ly derived from the profits of indus trial enterprises and that they were now employing them in many ways affecting the conditions of wage earners, it was the desire of the commission. it was ex. nlainad tn at ipa hnt ir policies were in every respect consist ent with the public welfare. It was pointed out that the institutions were under no legal obligation to make their operations public and that it was a pertinent question to determine whether such immense resources were potential ly dangerous, when not subject to gov ernmental supervision.
 No Implication Intended In raising. this question no implica- ton was intended, it was explained It was simply the purpose of the commits | sion to call attention without preju- dice, to the power which these institu | tions were in a position to exercise, l rightfully or wrongfully, especially iii shaping public opinion. Whether after | the facts have been brought out, such institutions shall and can be regu-
 lated will be left to Congress after the commission has reported. It was pointed out that in England, the so- called charity trusts" are required by law to make public reports
 The commission also plans to call l the directors and chief stockholders Of several of the large industries to ob- | tain a discussion of their relations with employees; also members of tho
 National Civic Federation and the New | York Charity Organization society. Tt is the purpose of the commits l sion,' says statement by Frank P. l Walsh, chairman of the commission, ito
 bring before it in New York the men l whose names are most closely asso- ciated with our great basic industries | and through this means to obtain d 1 full. frank discussion of the relation | that exists between the centralization
 of wealth and power in their hands
 and feeling of unrest among wage l carners.
 "Whether rightfully or wronGfully,
 a very large number of wage earners l complain that their interests are prej- | udiced by the fact that the industries in which they are employed are owned | distance and, who have no personal | knowledge of the conditions under | which the employees work and live. This is one of the charges most frequently
 made by writers and speakers en- gagged in enlisting recruits for the most radical political and economical move
 ments and the commission feels that its work will not be complete until 1t has given full consideration to the sub ject.
 Social Betterment
 Large employers and stockholders
 in industrial corporations are more and
 more turning their attention to or
 ganized efforts toward social better
 hent. The commission. will seek to
 find out whether or not these efforts
 are undertaken because their authors
 feel a responsibility for the conditions which create the need of such effort
 aEd if so whether or not the various schemes of welfare work and phil
 anthropy can be considered adequate to meet the needs.
 ''The commission assumes, of course
 that every good citizen desires to aid in any sincere effort to get at the ur
 deriving causes of industrial unrest
 and in this as in other iE-
 Guiries it is approaching its
 task with an open mind and
 a desire only to get at the facts
 Each witness will be urged to make q
 complete statement of his views. The commissions conclusions will be stated ] only in it's report to Congress and un- til that is submitted Its attitude will be open minded and free from preJ- udice."
 Nearly 50 witnesses have been sum. moned most of them persons of ma tional prominence.
 They includes: John D. Rockefeller