The sun., 1918-09-02

administrative body, an intsrstste trade
commission. The opinion OF the country
would instantly approve Of such COM
mission"
The committee is composed pr Rush c.
Butler OF Chicago. chairman; William
j. Dean OF the firm of Nicols, Dean q
Gregg of st. Paul, Mimi. Alfred y.
Koch. president Of the La Sale Koch
Co. OF Toledo, Ohio: w. l.. Saunders,
president OF the Ingersoll- Rand Com
pany Of New York; Prof. Henry X.
Seaser, Of Columbia University. New
York, who Is now with the Emergency
Fleet Corporation; Alexander w. smith
Of Atlanta, Ca: DR.. I, C. White. state
Geological of west virginia; silas p.
Adams OF Portland, Me-. and William c.
Coffin, vice-presldent OF the Blaw-Knox
Company, Pittsburg.
This committee has followed the work
of the commission since the latters or
ganizaion, and at first was an informal
consulting body, no advisory board hav-
ing been provided for in the law as was
the case with the eFderal Reserve
Board.
III for no other reason" says the
report, "this committee would neces-
sarily be impartial because in the mem
bership Of the chamber there are rep-
resented both producers and consumers
and most Of the important industries.
In direct interests many OF these mem
bers are adverse but they all Join In
subscribing to the purposes OF the cham
Der. which include promotion OF sound
economic conditions in every branch or
American industry and commerce ana
elimination Of all business practices and
situations that are Incompatible with the
public interest"
The commission, Gays the report,
gave promise OF becoming a construc-
tive body. expert in analysis and In In
formation able to suggest sound ma
tional policies for preventing abuses
and for encouraging proper development
in the great field of, American business
enterprise outside a restricted jnrisdic-
ton which had been confined to such
bodies as the Interstate Commerce Com
mission and the Federal Reserve Board.
The expectat ons that were thus sup
ported are now being disappointed Dur
ing the past year or eighteen months
the commissions attitude and procedure
have changed and its altered position
has become well developed
That various exigencies might arse
which would Justify resignation and
retirement of course must be expected
but no less than two commissions and
n prominent member of its stan have
been simultaneously candidates for po-
lttical preferment Conditions such as
these Inevitably lead to Impressions that
the commission is no longer q respon-
sible body approaching its duties with a
serious purpose to promote the public
interest alone that II seeks aggrandize-
ment for its self and Its membership
and that 1t lacks the impartiality essen
tial to any, public agency which is to
speak with authority and to promote
the common cause OF the nation, rather
than TO create d!scord. confusion and
disorganization.'
Lacking in Jurisdiction. a.
To show that the commission has un-
dertaken tho exercise OF functions be-
yond its jurisdiction the committee cites
the case involving news print paper man.
ufacturers and publishers with which the
commission dealt. The commission. It Is
declared. in seeking to have producers
and consumers agree to establish the
commission as an arbiter of their differ
ences went beyond the law Of its crea-
ton and possessing no power to enforce
its findings was placed Gin the awkward
position of having its award ignored"
Regarding the commissions methods
In arriving at the cost OF bituminous,
coal production in which its figures were
used by the President as basis for
fixing the price OF coal in August. 1917.
the report indicates the commission did
not have adequate information. used
bases for estimating costs that contained
innovations and we're not fully disclosed
to the industry or the public. and arrived
at figures which would prevent produc-
ton OF, 10. 100000 tons of our annual
supply.
Supporting its charge that the. con-
mission has left incomplete its study of,
important situations, the committee
points out that upward OF 100000 has
been spent by the commission and its
the Bureau OF Corporations.
In investigations of the lumber industry
and that no final conclusions and recon-
as to fundamental economic
conditions have been published. although
repeatedly promised to Congressional
committees. q.
Perhaps the strongest indictment OF
the commission Is contained in that part
of the committees report dealing with
the change in the commissions proceed