FOREIGN MARKETS 147 



This all points to the conclusion that there should be a permanent 

 bureau connected with the administrative department of the govern- 

 ment, whose function it should be constantly to gather and compile, 

 according to the most approved scientific methods, all the data neces- 

 sary for an intelligent appreciation of the exact working of the tariff. 

 Such a bureau could, when required, extend its investigation so as 

 to cover the probable effect of the proposed changes. Modern eco- 

 nomic science is equipped with the methods of research, of analyzing 

 and interpreting statistics, of delving into the forces which control 

 prices, and of ascertaining the cause and meaning of changes in the 

 direction and extent of trade, - - in short, it has the methods neces- 

 sary for dealing safely with the multitudinous and bewildering facts 

 which enter into the problem of the effect of a tariff on the world's 

 markets. There is no reason for groping in the dark, when by a 

 little provision in advance we might walk in the light. 



