32 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



tors. These officers, acting as census enumerators, could do much of the 

 first work in compilation, such as footing the columns in their reports. 

 This, as in the case of the farm statistics under the proposed system,. would 

 equal and would, I believe, shorten the work of compilation in the secre- 

 tary of state's office when only a few clerks can be employed, by at least 

 one half. 



What are some of the objections to such a system? 



First, It creates a new office. The people are, on general principles, 

 opposed to any scheme that lengthens the list of public officials. In reply 

 it may as well be admitted first as last that until perfection is reached in 

 all matters pertaining to government, the body of public officials will con- 

 tinue to grow. The facts that are today affecting in various ways the wel- 

 fare of the people, about which we ought to have perfect knowledge, 

 but really have very little or no knowledge at all, are almost countless. 

 One by one subjects of great importance come to the front and new offices 

 are created. It is within the memory of many now here that the insu- 

 rance bureau, the state board of health, the state board of charities, the 

 bureau of labor, and the offices of the commissioner of railroads and com- 

 missioner of banking were created. We now have a fish commissioner, a 

 state game warden, and- a large number of oil inspectors. The time was 

 when none of these were necessary; now they are indispensable. The real 

 question to be decided is, are accurate statistics of our various farm pro- 

 ductions of sufficient importance to warrant the adoption of the plan here 

 proposed? If ever adopted it will be for the benefit of the producers and 

 consumers. This fact should be kept in mind. Hence I repeat, it will be 

 for the benefit of the producers and consumers. The dealers will take 

 care of themselves. They know the value of such statistics to their busi- 

 ness and they spare neither pains nor expense to secure them. Writing 

 of the 1891 wheat crop, the secretary of the Detroit board of trade, in July 

 last, said: " Our grain merchants have never been more painstaking and 

 careful in collecting information relative to the yield of the crop than for 

 that of the present year. Representatives have traveled over the state and 

 letters almost without number have been received from local correspondents 

 relative to the outlook for the harvest. If boards of trade can and do go 

 to this great trouble and expense to secure statistics to form the basis of 

 their business, it can not be that the great body of producers and consum- 

 ers will not approve a plan that will secure to them also like information. 

 The dealers expend more in trying to secure statistics of the wheat crop 

 than of any other, yet other crops are investigated and reported upon, each 

 according to its importance. 



The question of cost is the second likely to be asked. The local statis- 

 tician should receive the same per diem compensation as the supervisor. 

 But this I do not believe would make the expense greater than now. The 

 time required to take the assessment is now prolonged because the super- 

 visor takes the statistics it is here proposed to place in the hands of the 

 local statisticians. The supervisor takes the statistics while taking the 

 assessment. The local statisticians will have to make a trip over the town 

 ship for that purpose. The time required to make this trip over the town- 

 ship is the only additional labor contemplated. A township of thirty-six 

 sections, with a road around and residences on all sides of each section, 

 contains eighty-four miles of highway that the statisticians would have to 

 traverse. The time required to travel these eighty-four miles measures 

 the possible extra cost under the plan proposed. But the statistician 



