Evening star., 1926-05-13
SERVICE
MEASURE PUSHED
Senate May Vote This Week
on Department of Com
merce's Graded Service.

The .Jones-Hoch bill to give perma'
nent status to the foreign service OF
the Department of Commerce Will be
brought up for consideration in the
Senate before the close of the present
week, if Senator Jones OF Washlng'
| ton, chairman of the commerce com
mittee. has his way in the matter.
The bill already has passed the House
and is now on the Senate calenoar'
Once the bill can be brought before
the Senate for consideration 1t is eX'
pected that It will command large
majority.
The bill would provide a graded and
classified foreign service for the De-
partment of Commerce, patterned
after that provided In existing law
for the Department of State. 1t does
not involve additional appropriations
but merely gives statutory standing
| to a service which has been authof'
| lied bv the inclusion of legislative
language in the Appropriation bliis
| for many years. The measure mas
strong support in business circles anu
is understood to have the approval
of the White House.
Shows Big Return.
The Foreign Service of the Depart
ment of Commerce while numerically
small-there are only about l2O omces
distributed among AZ foreign statlonS
-bulks large as promotiNe agency
and, according 10 sentiment in busl-
ness the relatively small amount pro-
vided by Congress annually Tor Ns
maintenance.
Directing the work of this foreign
service is a group of experts In wash
- a..
ity experience who keep in touch with
domestic conditions. and direct the
foreign service from the standpoint Of
the needs of American producers and
exporters, Under the guidance OF
practical commodity experts here In
Washington, the foreign stan OF the
Bureau gathers from AZ countries.
economic and commercial information
of value to American business.
Includes Consuls' Services.
In addition. under the law of the
Department of Commerce Is made the
distributing agent for consular re-
ports: so that in addition to its own
staff the Department has the valuable
services of some 400 consuls scattered
all over the world. While these con-
suls, by reason of the tremendous
them do not have the time to follow
up economic and commercial affairs in
the manner that this is done by the
foreign officers of the Bureau Of
Foreign and Domestic Commerce, they
are valuable as a collaborating agency,
and having become increasingly more
valuable since they have had the ad-
vantage of expert guidance under the
recently organized Commodity Divi-
sions mentioned previously.
In this general connection atten'
ton should be called to an executive
order promulgated by the President
on April 4. 1924, which still further
increased the value of the combined
services to American business men
by ordering a closer cooperation be-
tween all agents of this Government
abroad. Under this order there is a
free interchange of information be-
tween all agents of the Government
in foreign lands. and every effort is
made to eliminate needless duplica-
tion of work.
Publishes Weekly Report.
Information gathered by the for
eign service officers OF the Depart.
ment of Commerce is disseminated
promptly through many channels.