848 REPORT— 1887. 



doubts as to their accuracy, as he had not received the support and assistance from 

 the exporters that he expected, and the agents at the ports had in many cases to 

 make guesses as to the nature of the exports. 



The object of this paper is to show that, notwithstanding this, the returns show 

 a considerable amount of substantial accuracy, and are most interesting and useful,, 

 particularly to the bleaching and calico-printing industries. 



As evidence of this the returns from the Indian Customs are taken of the total 

 imports into India of cotton piece goods from all countries for 3i years — viz., from 

 April 1, 1883, to September 30, 1886, which are compared with the Customs 

 Returns in the followinfj statement : — 



The paper goes on to examine the returns from the Chinese Imperial Customs, 

 which to a certain extent discriminate between unbleached and bleached goods. 



The values of the different classes of exports to India as shown in the United 

 Kingdom Customs Returns are somewhat corroborative of the substantial accuracy 

 of the returns : unbleached, 2-\d. ; bleached, 2-5d. ; printed, 2-95d. ; dyed, 3-67 d. 

 The differences here shown in the values of the different classes pretty closely 

 correspond with the average cost of each different operation of bleaching, printing, 

 and dyeing. 



The paper goes on to point out some features of interest in the returns, and 

 claims that their value is sufficient to justify their being continued, and calls on 

 exporters to facilitate the work of the agents at the ports by furnishing the neces- 

 sary details of their exports. 



2. The Statistics of our Foreign Trade, and what they tell us. 

 By A. E. Bateman, F.S.S. 



The author submits this paper on the chief features of our trade returns in view 

 of the many misconceptions regarding them and the interest attaching thereto in 

 these times of controversies about free trade and currency questions. 



He describes the various official publications, monthly accounts, annual state- 

 ment, &c., and discusses the methods adopted in then- compilation in regard to 

 classification of articles, valuation, registration of real origin, and destination of 

 imports and exports compared with the systems in use abroad and in connection 

 with recent discussions at the Congress of the International Statistical Institute. 

 He shows the difficulty of classifying articles into manufactures, raw materials, 

 food, &c., and gives the various foreign classitications ; and he points out that our 

 system of declared values gives an immediate record of changes of price of imports 

 and exports which foreign systems of official values revised only yearly or bien- 

 nially fail to do ; but the intelligent and benevolent co-operation of our manufac- 

 turers and merchants is essential to getting current returns. After shovring the 

 importance of settling these bases of trade statistics he invites views and sugges- 

 tions for any improvement in the returns from the many competent authorities who 

 are likely to be present. 



He concludes by some comments on the chief points of interest in the monthly 

 accounts, showing that if read Intelligently they present a very graphic picture of 

 the economical changes which are daily, and almost hourly, taking place. 



3. Mejport of the Coniynittee on the S,egulation of Wages by means of 

 Lists in the Cotton Industry. — See Reports, p. 303. 



