34-0 AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS. 



us say, an honest penny without the sweat of his brow. He 

 approached the lady and told her that he knew of a remedy and 

 would tell her, provided she gave him five shillings, which she 

 did. "Ma'am," he said, "you catch the hug and knock his brains 

 out with a hammer." He did not wait to listen to the parliamen- 

 tary language that followed. 



That is just where our trouble lies ; it is to catch them. 



Uniformity the World Over. 



I believe in the saying. " The earth is my fatherland and 

 to do good is my religion." If in any way possible, steps ought to 

 be taken to have a uniform system all over the world — a system 

 which can be applied everywhere and suited to local conditions ; of 

 the same pattern although not of the same size. Perhaps the 

 time is nearly ripe when we also, like Canada, may adopt the 

 decimal system. This in itself will be a step towards uniformity. 



The King of Italy has taken the initiative, and let us hope 

 that the day is not far distant when we shall be in possession not 

 only of agricultural, but of all statistics. 



The second phase is 



The Compilation. 



In discussing the procedure, or how to collect, I have already 

 touched on the scientific aspect and secrecy. It is therefore not 

 necessary to say much more on those points. 



There are two main forms in which statistical information 

 could be published : — 



(i) The publication at frequent intervals, say monthly, if 

 possible, of the estimates or forecasts of the principal crops. 

 These forecasts might be published in the Government Gazette 

 and the Agricultural Journal, and might also be supplied to the 

 Press. 



(2) Annual handbooks of statistics containing the record for 

 the past year, and comprising sufficient data to enable any man of 

 average intelligence to follow the progress or otherwise of the 

 country in any given line of agricultural activity. This means that 

 in the compilation, tabulation and publication of our statistics we 

 must bear in mind that our work must be explicit, and in simple 

 form, and easy of interpretation. As already quoted, Mr. Sanger 

 at the Royal Statistical Society's meeting, expressed the opinion 

 that it would be very interesting to know the reason why those 

 who were responsible for the collection of statistics should adopt 

 methods which produced statistics very difficult to interpret, if 

 indeed they could be interpreted. By all means we must avoid 

 such criticism. What is the good of statistics which are unintelli- 

 gible? Statistics are not meant for ornament or a means to 

 supply certain men with a living ! They can be of the greatest 

 possible use. They are a necessity. They are material with which 

 to build. They are the thermometer which shows the rise and fall 



