196 president's address — section g. 



of natimis, which shall be something more than international 

 urbanity, and which will be founded upon what may be called 

 " international education." Indeed, it would aim at " inter- 

 nationalism," in the better sense of the word, viz., at that stage 

 of development through which the subordination of the rights 

 of individuals to the well-being, not merely of the nation, but of 

 thei world, is secured. 



In this coimexicn, one might well ask, in view of the great skill 

 in the development of engines of destruction, and the terrible 

 possibilities of bacteriological and chemical agents in unscrupulous 

 war, v/hether the way of enmity or war is even a reasonable solu- 

 tion of the difFculties of conflicting interests. The late war seems 

 to have demonstrated clearly enough that war is the greatest of 

 the economic follies of which mankind is guilty ; that however 

 serious other economic disaster may or would have been, it would 

 have fallen short of the frightful ruin brought about by the war. 



Ho'wever, whether ' ' the way out ' ' be the way of war, or the 

 way of friendly adjustment of conflicting interests, the economic 

 and general situation can be discussed effectively o^nly by the help 

 of a thorough scheme of statistics, viz., one that will admit 

 of the widest possible comparisons of national development. Ih 

 this matter the cupidity of plutocratic interest may be a difficulty, 

 but the late war, and its sequela', have shown that if such a diffi- 

 culty is not met, other difficulties of a much more serious character 

 may arise. As education and information become more general, 

 and extensive, it will be more and more difficult toi precipitate 

 masses of men against one another in war merely to serve narrow 

 though powerful interests. Thus it is not unlikely in future that, 

 before they wiU be really prepared toi embark on gigantic wars, 

 the real leaders of nations will have to be convinced that the 

 casus belli is both national and incapable of other possible solution. 



The systematic recording of affairs is alone adequate for the 

 purpose of obtaining a clear conspectus of affairs, and thus it will 

 be the function of the statistician of the future* to so arrange the 

 facts that the situation can be apprehended in its full significance. 

 It has become virtually self-evident that no great nation can 

 neglect to use statistics for the purposes indicated. 



The British Empire Trade Commission, that visited Australia in 

 1913, realized that British business interests necessitated an 

 Imperial statistic, and recommended a conference of the statis- 

 ticians of the Empire. The recognition of the value of such a 

 conference was accentuated by the state of things revealed during 

 the war, and the British Government invited Empire statisticians 



♦ This aspect of the matter was accentuated by me in addresses to the Royal Colonial 

 Institute, the Royal Statistical Society, and on public occasions during my recent visit to 

 London. 



