International Statistical Uniformity. 43 



Sub-clause "A." — To meet cases where one country 

 possesses information too important to its own interests to 

 be omitted, but which others cannot supply (for example, 

 in natural products), blank columns have been provided 



under the spaces marked " Other ," for them to fill 



up as they please, and so meet their requirements. 



Where voluminous returns, infinite in particulars, are pre- 

 pared, they are sure to contain the intelligence wanted for 

 international purposes. It has only to be extracted from its 

 accompanying cloud of figures, and to be reprinted in the 

 form agreed upon. Neither the copiousness of the informa- 

 tion nor the form in which it was originally issued need be 

 altered in the slightest degree. There are few departments 

 which . could refuse to fill up a table which would contain 

 only some of the information at their command. 



We may indeed hope that by a similar process of reason- 

 ing to that in the previous case a corresponding result will 

 be arrived at, but in the opposite direction ; that tables 

 not actually necessary would be by degrees discontinued, 

 and that a reform which would have the effect of curtailing 

 the too great multiplicity of statistical information, which 

 is felt to be a growing evil, would be silently inaugurated. 



Clause 5. — In many cases, and particularly in the natural 

 productions of different countries, the variety of the informa- 

 tion supplied makes any comparison almost impossible^ 

 The only apparent way to provide a common standard is to 

 adopt the commonest standard of all — the standard of 

 value. Therefore, where it is necessary, a column is pro- 

 vided at the end of the section in which the value of the 

 articles enumerated may be given.* The difficulty caused 

 by different monetary systems may be avoided by providing 

 a second column of value. The first should contain the value 

 in local currency ; in the second the same value should be 

 expressed in the coinage of the country to whom the returns 

 are to be supplied. For instance, in American returns 

 supplied to England, the first valuation would be in dollars, 

 and the second in pounds sterling. In English returns sent 

 to America the first column would be headed "libra" (£), and 

 the second " dollars." The last column might be filled up 

 by each individual country after receiving the returns, 

 otherwise a great deal of labour would be entailed on the 



* On a further examination I find the system of providing one column for 

 the monetary value is in force in the summaries attached to Hayter's. 

 Victorian Year Bock. 



