Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1921-01-09
Consolidation
Is Proposed

Is Proposed. as proposed under
the Smoot-Reavis bill for reorganiza-
ltion of the government establish
ments. This is with respect to COM
piling foreign trade statistics. for
which a supplemental appropriation
Of 100000 was asked by the bureau
of foreign and domestic commerce.
AS this contemplates considerable
new legislation, which would be sub
ject to a point Of order in any appro-
priation bill, Secretary Alexander has
been advised to seek such authorizing
legislation from the committee on in
terstate and foreign commerce. Chair
man Esch says he hopes to arrange
for a hearing on this proposition next
week.
1t is proposed to transfer the control.
and with it the expense Of operation
the New York customhouse from the
Treasury to the Department of Com
merce and to consolidate it with the
division Of statistics of the bureau of
foreign and domestic commerce. The
plan is to provide means for revising
and extending the statistical classif1-
cation Of exports and imports. intro
ducing more efficient methods of COM
piling the monthly and annual re-
ports and providing for their earlier
publication. introducing methods of
collecting statistics of exports by
states of origin and by parcel post,
and instituting other Improvements
in the statistical service for the use
of Congress. the government depart
ments, commercial and trade organi-
cations and firms in promoting and
extending the foreign trade of the
United States.
The Treasury Department is in ac-
cord with the Department Of Com
merce in urging this
Treasury Ia consolidation of agen-
cies and extension and
AZ 0SSoA"' Improvement of the
service. Secretary Alexander of the
Commerce Department has pointed
out to Congress that the cost of OPP
Grating the bureau of customs sta
tistics at New York is paid from the
Treasury Department appropriation
for collecting the revenues from Gus
toms. Inasmuch as this bureau. he
says. is almost entirely engaged in
tabulating statistics for the Depart
ment of Commerce. the question has
been considered whether the control
and expenses of this work should not
be transferred to the Commerce De-
partment. 1t has had the Endorsement
Of the Treasury improvement commit
tee since 1916.
1t has been further suggested that
1t would be to the advantage of the
government as a whole il the control
Of the customs statistical bureau at
New York were transferred to the
Department of Commerce. Many adj
vantages are apparent, Secretary
Alexander has told the House COM
mittees on appropriations and on COM
merce. II the service Of collection,
compiling and publishing foreign
trade statistics could be consolidated
in one Office. 1t would be easier
to make improvements in the meth
DDS, in compliance with the insistent
demands from commercial interests
for prompter and more detailed sta
tistics.
The extended use of the statistics
by the War Trade, War Industries
and Shipping boards,
A Wider Use the Food Administra-
Of Figures. ment aeenc,e. IN con-
nection with war restrictions gave
tremendous impetus to a wider use
Of these figures. and. since the war
the demand from importers, exporters
and commercial organizations and
firms for more detailed statistics have
increased many fold. The bureau OF
foreign and domestic commerce has
completed a revision Of the statistical
classification Of imports and exports.
with the active cooperation of the
Shipping Board. Tariff Commission
census bureau, geological survey,
Agriculture, Treasury and other gov