work of the Geological Survey to the new Department. Other changes and transfers will suggest themselves to the Executive Department, which will result in the more thorough system of scientific investigation and in a great saving of work which is at present duplicated in different branches of the public service.

RECOMMENDATION OF COMMITTEE

Your committee, after such consideration of the subject as it has been possible for them to make, recommend that the bill of the Senate (S. 569) be amended by striking out all after the enacting clause and substituting in lieu thereof the amendment or substitute presented with this report, so that said Senate bill will read as follows:

A BILL to establish the Department of Commerce and Labor.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there shall be at the seat of government an Executive Department to be known as the Department of Commerce and Labor, and a Secretary of Commerce and Labor, who shall be the head thereof, who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, who shall receive a salary of eight thousand dollars per annum, and whose term and tenure of office shall be like that of the heads of the other Executive Departments; and section one hundred and fifty-eight of the Revised Statutes is hereby amended to include such Department, and the provisions of title four of the Revised Statutes, including all amendments thereto, are hereby made applicable to said Department.

SEC. 2. That there shall be in said Department an Assistant Secretary of Commerce and Labor, to be appointed by the President, who shall receive a salary of five thousand dollars a year. He shall perform such duties as shall be prescribed by the Secretary or required by law. There shall also be one chief clerk and a disbursing clerk and such other clerical assistants as may from time to time be authorized by Congress; and the Auditor for the State and other Departments shall receive all accounts accruing in or relative to the Department of Commerce and Labor and examine the same, and thereafter certify the balance and transmit the accounts, with the vouchers and certificate, to the Comptroller of the Treasury for his decision thereon.

SEC. 3. That it shall be the province and duty of said Department to foster, promote, and develop the foreign and domestic commerce, the mining, manufacturing, shipping, and fishery industries, the labor interests, the transportation facilities, and the insurance business of the United States; and to this end it shall be vested with jurisdiction and control of the departments, bureaus, offices, and branches of the public service hereinafter specified, and with such other powers and duties as may be prescribed by law.

SEC. 4. That the following-named offices, bureaus, divisions, and branches of the public service, now and hereafter under the jurisdiction of the Department of the Treasury, and all that pertains to the same, known as the Light-House Board, the Light-House Service, the National Bureau of Standards, the Coast and Geodetic Survey, the Commissioner-General of Immigration, the Bureau of Immigration, the Immigration Service at Large, and the Bureau of Statistics be, and the same hereby are, transferred from the Department of the Treasury to the Department of Commerce and Labor, and the same shall hereafter remain under the jurisdiction and supervision of the last-named Department; and that the Census Office, and all that pertains to the same, be, and the same hereby is, transferred from the Department of the Interior to the Department of Commerce and Labor, to remain henceforth under the jurisdiction of the latter; that the Department of Labor and the office of Commissioner of Fish and Fisheries, and all that pertains to the same, be, and the same hereby are, placed under the jurisdiction and made a part of the Department of Commerce and Labor; that the Bureau of Foreign Commerce, now in the Department of State, be, and the same hereby is, transferred to the Department of Commerce and Labor and consolidated with and made a part of the Bureau of Statistics, hereinbefore transferred from the Department of the Treasury to the Department of Commerce and Labor, and the two shall constitute one bureau, to be called the Bureau of Statistics, with a chief of the Bureau; and that the Secretary of Commerce and Labor shall have complete control of the work of gathering and distributing statistical information naturally relating to the subjects confided to his Department; and to this end

said Secretary shall have power to employ any or either of the said bureaus and to rearrange such statistical work and to distribute or consolidate the same, as may be deemed desirable in the public interest; and said Secretary shall also have authority to call upon other departments of the Government for statistical data and results obtained by them; and said Secretary of Commerce and Labor may collate, arrange, and publish such statistical information so obtained in such manner as to him may seem wise.

That the official records and papers now on file in and pertaining exclusively to the business of any bureau, office, department, or branch of the public service in this act transferred to the Department of Commerce and Labor, together with the furniture now in use in such bureau, office, department, or branch of the public service, shall be, and hereby are, transferred to the Department of Commerce and Labor. SEC. 5. That there shall be in the Department of Commerce and Labor a bureau to be called the Bureau of Manufactures, and a chief of said Bureau, who shall be appointed by the President, and who shall receive a salary of four thousand dollars per annum. There shall also be in said Bureau one chief clerk and such other clerical assistants as may from time to time be authorized by Congress.

It shall be the province and duty of said Bureau, under the direction of the Secretary, to foster, promote, and develop the various manufacturing industries of the United States, and markets for the same at home and abroad, domestic and foreign, by gathering, compiling, publishing, and supplying all available and useful information concerning such industries and such markets, and by such other methods and means as may be prescribed by the Secretary or provided by law.

And all consular officers of the United States, including consul-generals, consuls, and commercial agents, are hereby required, and it is made a part of their duty, under the direction of the Secretary of State, to gather and compile, from time to time, useful and material information and statistics in respect to the subjects enumerated in section three of this act in the countries and places to which such consular officers are accredited, and to send, under the direction of the Secretary of State, reports as often as required of the information and statistics thus gathered and compiled, such reports to be transmitted through the State Department to the Secretary of the Department of Commerce and Labor.

SEC. 6. That there shall be in the Department of Commerce and Labor a bureau to be called the Bureau of Insurance, and a chief of said Bureau, who shall be appointed by the President, and who shall receive a salary of four thousand dollars per annum, and such clerical assistants as may from time to time be authorized by law. It shall be the province and duty of said Bureau, under the direction of the Secretary, to exercise such control as may be provided by law over every insurance company, society, or association transacting business in the United States outside of the State, Territory, or District wherein the same is organized, and to foster, promote, and develop the various insurance industries of the United States by gathering, compiling, publishing, and supplying all available and useful information concerning such insurance companies and the business of insurance, and by such other methods and means as may be prescribed by the Secretary or provided by law,

SEC. 7. That there shall be in the Department of Commerce and Labor a bureau to be called the Bureau of Corporations, and the chief of said Bureau shall receive a salary of four thousand dollars per annum. There shall also be in said Bureau such clerks and assistants as may from time to time be authorized by law. It shall be the province and duty of said Bureau, under the direction of the Secretary of Commerce and Labor, to gather, compile, publish, and supply useful information concerning such corporations doing business within the limits of the United States as shall engage in interstate commerce or in commerce between the United States and any foreign country, and to attend to such other duties as may be hereafter provided by law.

SEC. 8. That the jurisdiction, supervision, and control now possessed and exercised by the Department of the Treasury over the fur-seal, salmon, and other fisheries in Alaska, as well as over Chinese immigration, including the authority conferred by the various acts in relation to the exclusion of Chinese upon collectors of customs, be, and the same hereby are, transferred to and vested in the Department of Commerce and Labor; and the Secretary of Commerce and Labor shall designate officials of his Department to perform the duties and exercise the authority now conferred upon collectors of customs or other officials of the Treasury Department (who are not hereby transferred to the Department of Commerce and Labor) in regard to Chinese exclusion and immigration.

SEC. 9. That the Secretary of Commerce and Labor shall annually, at the close of each fiscal year, make a report in writing to Congress, giving an account of all moneys received and disbursed by him and his Department, and describing the work done

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by the Department in fostering, promoting, and developing the foreign and domestic commerce, the mining, manufacturing, shipping, and fishery industries, the transportation facilities, and insurance business of the United States, and making such recommendations as he shall deem necessary for the effective performance of the duties and purposes of the Department. He shall also from time to time make such special investigations and reports as he may be required to do by the President, or by either House of Congress, or which he himself may deem necessary and urgent. SEC. 10. That the Secretary of Commerce and Labor shall have charge, in the buildings or premises occupied by or appropriated to the Department of Commerce and Labor, of the library, furniture, fixtures, records, and other property pertaining to it or hereafter acquired for use in its business; and he shall be allowed to expend for periodicals and purposes of the library, and for the rental of appropriate quarters for the accommodation of the Department of Commerce and Labor within the District of Columbia, and for all other incidental expenses, such sums as Congress may provide from time to time: Provided, however, That where any office, bureau, or branch of the public service transferred to the Department of Commerce and Labor by this act is occupying rented buildings or premises, it may still continue to do so until other suitable quarters are provided for its use: And provided further, That all officers, clerks, and employees now employed in any of the bureaus, offices, departments, or branches of the public service in this act transferred to the Department of Commerce and Labor are each and all hereby transferred to said Department at their present grades and salaries, except where otherwise provided in this act: And provided further, That all laws prescribing the work and defining the duties of the several bureaus, offices, departments, or branches of the public service by this act transferred to and made a part of the Department of Commerce and Labor shall, so far as the same are not in conflict with the provisions of this act, remain in full force and effect until otherwise provided by law.

SEC. 11. That all power and authority heretofore possessed or exercised by the head of any Executive Department over any bureau, office, branch, or division of the public service by this act transferred to the Department of Commerce and Labor, or any business arising therefrom or pertaining thereto, whether of an appellate or revisory character or otherwise, shall hereafter be vested in and exercised by the head of the said Department of Commerce and Labor. And all acts or parts of acts inconsistent with this act are, so far as so inconsistent, hereby repealed.

SEC. 12. A person, to be designated by the Secretary of State, shall be appointed to formulate, under his direction, for the instruction of consular officers, the requests of the Secretary of Commerce and Labor; and to prepare from the dispatches of consular officers, for transmission to the Secretary of Commerce and Labor, such information as pertains to the work of the Department of Commerce and Labor; and such person shall have the rank and salary of a chief of bureau, and be furnished with such clerical assistants as may from time to time be authorized by law.

SEC. 13. That the President is hereby authorized to transfer, by order in writing, at any time, any office, bureau, division, or other branch of the public service engaged in statistical or scientific work, and not herein transferred to or included in the Department of Commerce and Labor, to said Department of Commerce and Labor; and in every such case the duties and authority performed by and conferred upon such office, bureau, division, or other branch of the public service so transferred shall be transferred with such office, bureau, division, or other branch of the public service, and all power and authority conferred by law upon the Department from which such transfer is made, or the Secretary thereof, shall immediately, when such transfer is so ordered by the President, be fully conferred upon and vested in the Department of Commerce and Labor, or the Secretary thereof, as the case may be.

SEC. 14. That this act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.

VIEWS OF MR. STEWART

I am reluctantly constrained to differ fundamentally with the majority of the committee with reference to the wisdom and necessity of establishing a separate and distinct Cabinet Department of "Commerce and Labor," or a distinct Department of either Commerce or Labor.

A proper consolidation of existing statistical divisions scattered through the great departments of the Government in one division

under an existing Department would, in my opinion, fulfill all the conditions required by the proposed new Department.

The alarming feature of the bill is that it will result, in my judgment, in transferring all the vexed questions of capital and labor which for years have harassed and embarrassed our State governments and municipalities to the arena of Federal discussion and agitation.

Being opposed to the whole scheme of a separate Department of Commerce or Labor, it is unnecessary for me to discuss what I consider the objectionable provisions of the bill.

JAMES F. STEWART.

VIEWS OF THE MINORITY

The undersigned members of the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce are unable to agree with the committee in its favorable action on Senate bill No. 569, entitled "A bill to create the Department of Commerce and Labor." We do not believe that it will promote the interests and welfare of the laboring classes, or the interests. of the country, to transfer or include the Department of Labor in the proposed new Department of Commerce. It must be patent to the most casual reader of the evidence given in the hearings by the committee on this subject that the interest and care of labor in this proposed new Department would be subordinate to other interests, and we can safely predict that the Secretary of the Department would not be a representative of either organized or unorganized labor.

The laboring classes are not asking for this transfer, but strong and earnest protests have been made against it, but the demand comes from other sources. By the act of Congress of June 27, 1884, the Bureau of Labor was established and placed in the Department of the Interior, which act provided for the appointment of a Commissioner of Labor. On the 13th of June, 1888, an act entitled "An act to establish a Department of Labor" was approved. This act of Congress provided that there shall be at the seat of government a Department of Labor. The Bureau of Labor organized and conducted in the Department of the Interior was abolished, and the independent Department of Labor was created and the authority of the Department and the Commissioner of Labor were enlarged as to all industrial interests and kindred subjects.

We do not hesitate to say that after a careful examination we believe that the record made by the Department of Labor since its establishment by Congress is highly creditable and has been of great benefit in the distribution of practical and useful information among all classes of people in all matters pertaining to labor in its most comprehensive sense. It has contributed to the uplifting of the working class of our people. It is not our purpose to clothe labor with any distinctive or particular interest and thus create a class antagonistic to some other special interest or class. The genius and theory of our Government is opposed to such legislation. However, we insist that no conditions or relations should be created by law that tend to promote or invite friction between the interests of capital and labor, but everything should be done to place them as near in accord as practicable.

The bill, to which we object, practically reduces the present Department of Labor to the position of a bureau in the new Department of

Commerce and Labor. This subordinate and overshadowed position that the Bureau of Labor will occupy in the proposed new Department will be such a discrimination as leads us to fear that distrust and suspicion will result in friction or create such relations as would seriously impair the usefulness and efficiency of the Department.

For these and other reasons we dissent to the report of the majority

of the committee.

WILLIAM RICHARDSON.
ROBT. W. DAVIS.

DEBATE IN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

On January 15, 1903, the bill was taken up under a special continuing order to be considered in Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union until finally disposed of:

Mr. DALZELL. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following privileged report.

The SPEAKER. The gentleman from Pennsylvania calls up a privileged report from the Committee on Rules, which the Clerk will read.

The Clerk read as follows:

The Committee on Rules, to whom was referred House resolution No. 374, have had the same under consideration, and report the following in lieu thereof:

Resolved, That immediately after the adoption hereof the bill (S. 569) to establish a Department of Commerce shall be the special and continuing order of business until the same shall be finally dis posed of, not, however, to interfere with appropriation bills, conference reports, or other special orders heretofore made, or matters of privilege under the rules, and said bill shall be considered in Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union."

Mr. DALZELL. Mr. Speaker, the House is aware that some time ago the Senate passed a bill creating a Department of Commerce and Labor. That bill came to the House and was referred to the Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce. That committee had considered the bill, and the result was a report by that committee of a substitute bill. It is the purpose of this resolution to call up that bill now for consideration. No provision is made for any curtailment of debate or of amendment or anything of the kind. It is simply made a continuing order until it shall have been disposed of, subject, however, to appropriation bills and other privileged matters in the House. I assume there is no disposition to debate this resolution, and therefore I ask for a vote.

The SPEAKER. The question is on agreeing to the resolution.

The question was taken, and the resolution was agreed to.

Accordingly the committee resolved itself into Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for the consideration of an act (S. 569) to establish the Department of Commerce and Labor, with Mr. Gillett of Massachusetts in the chair.

The CHAIRMAN. The House is now in Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union for the consideration of the bill which the Clerk will report by title. The Clerk read as follows:

An act (S. 569) to establish the Department of Commerce and Labor.

Mr. HEPBURN. I ask unanimous consent that the first reading of the bill be dispensed with.

There was no objection.

Mr. HEPBURN. I presume that the time for debate will be controlled on the other side of the House by the gentleman from Alabama [Mr. RICHARDSON], who was one of those making the minority report. I ask unanimous consent that the time for general debate may be controlled by myself and by the gentleman from Alabama, and to be equally divided.

The CHAIRMAN. The gentlemen from Iowa asks that the time for general debate be equally divided between the two sides of the House, to be controlled on the one side by the gentleman from Iowa and on the other side by the gentleman from Alabama [Mr. Richardson]. Is there objection? [After a pause.] The Chair hears

none.

Mr. HEPBURN. Now, Mr. Chairman, I would like to make some arrangement with the gentleman from Alabama as to the time for general debate. How many hours does the gentleman desire?