OCR Text |
Show Delicate Criticism. A woman well known In Xew York for her exquisite taste as well as knowledge of the decorative and architectural ar-chitectural history of the world railed on the wife of a multi-millionaire w ho had recently built aud furnished a Fifth avenue mansion at great cost. "This," said the hostess proudly, as I she threw open a heavy door, "is my Louis Quatorze room." The visitor gazed about her for a moment and then made answer: "What makes you tUink so?" what I have said as to the immediate need for a government of much wider, powers than now exists there, if it can be said to have any government at all Lower Colorado River. There is transmitted herewith a letter from the Secretary of the Interior In-terior setting out the work done under un-der Joint resolution approved June 25, 1910, authorizing the expenditure, of $1,000,000, or so much thereof as might be necessary, to be expended by the President for the purpose of protecting lands and property in the Imperial valley and elsewhere along the Colorado river in Arizona. The money was expended and the protective protec-tive works erected, but the disturbances disturb-ances in Mexico so delayed the work, and the floods in the Colorado river were so extensive that a part of the works have been carried away, and the need for further action and expenditure ex-penditure of money exists. Water-Power Sites. In previous communications to Congress Con-gress I have pointed out two methods by which the water-power sites on non-navigable streams may be controlled con-trolled as between the state and the national government. It has seemed wise that the control should be concentrated con-centrated in one government or the other as the active participant in supervising its use by private enterprise. enter-prise. The Secretary of the Interior has suggested another method by which the water-power site shall be leased directly by the government to thpse who exercise a public franchise under un-der provisions imposing a rental for the water power to create a fund to be expended by the general government govern-ment for the improvement of the stream and the benefit of the local community where the power site is, and permitting the state to regulate the rates at which the converted power is sold. The latter method suggested sug-gested by the Secretary is a more direct method for Federal control, and in view of the probable union and systematic organization and welding weld-ing together of the power . derived from water within a radius of 300 or 400 miles, I think it better that the power of control should remain in the national government than that it should be turned over to the states. Under such a system the Federal government gov-ernment would have such direct supervision su-pervision of the whole matter that any honest administration could easily eas-ily prevent the abuses which a monopoly monop-oly of absolute ownership In private persons or companies would make possible. For some years past the high and steadily increasing cost of living has been a matter of such grave public concern that I deem it of great public interest that an International conference confer-ence be proposed at this time for the purpose of preparing plans, to be submitted sub-mitted to the various governments, fqr an International inquiry into the high cost of living, Its extent, causes, effects, ef-fects, and possible remedies. I therefore there-fore recommend that, to enable the president to invite foreign governments govern-ments to such a conference, to be held at Washington or elsewhere, the con-press con-press provide an appropriation, not to exceed $20,000, to defray the expenses of preparation and of participation by the United States. Commission on Industrial Relations. The extraordinary growth of industry indus-try in the "past two decades and its revolutionary changes have raised new and vital questions as to the relations between employers and wage earners which have become matters of pressing press-ing public concern. Industrial relations rela-tions concern the public for a double reason. We are directly interested In the maintenance of peaceful and stable sta-ble industrial conditions for the sake of our own comfort and well-being; but society is equally interested, in Its effectively civic capacity, in seeing that our institutions are effectively maintaining justice and fair dealing between any classes of citizens whose economic interests may seem to clash. The magniture and complexity of modern industrial disputes have put upon some of our statutes and our presen mechanism for adjusting such lifferences where we can be said to have any mechanism at all a strain they were never intended to bear and for which they are unsuited. What is urgently needed to day is a re-exami-. Misbranding Imported Goods. My attention has been called to the Injustice which is done in this country by the sale of article in the trade purporting to be made in It eland, when they ate not so made, and it is suggested that Ihe justice oi 111? enactment enact-ment of a law which, so far a.- I lie jurisdiction jur-isdiction oi 'he federal govei nnietU can go, wou'd p: event a continuance of this niisreinetentation to 'be public pub-lic and fraud ur.ou those w ho arc entitled en-titled to use the r-iateuicnt in the saie of their goods. I think it to be greatly great-ly it. the itiierest of fair dealing, which ought alwuys to be encouraged by law, for u.i!;ic.s to enact a law making it a misdemeanor, punishable by line or imprisonment, to use the mails or to put niiu interstate commerce any ar-I ar-I tides of merchandise which 1 ear upon ' their face a statement that tlirv have j been manufactured in .-oi'.ie paitirulai I country when the fact is otherwise. |