International Statistical Institute. 



383 



separate decennial inquiries unnecessary except in very 

 special circumstances. The final general meeting, upon 

 a proposal made by M. Timiriasevv, who represented the 

 Russian Ministry of Agriculture, decided to replace the existing 

 committee on agriculture by an expert commissioner, to whom 

 specific inquiries connected with the preparation of agricul- 

 tural statistics, and the issue of crop forecasts should be 

 entrusted, and who should present his report thereon 

 at the subsequent meeting of the Institute ; Major 

 Craigie being selected as commissioner of the Institute 

 on this subject, with M. Pilat, of the Bohemian, and 

 M. Timiiiasew, of the Russian Agricultural Depart- 

 ments as assistants in this task. The economic sec- 

 tion also dealt with points arising in trade and indus- 

 trial statistics ; and Mr. Bateman submitted an interesting- 

 note on his further investigations into the comparability of 

 trade statistics, directing attention more particularly on 

 this occasion to the methods of entering goods stated to be 

 in transit or for transhipment, or entered for temporary 

 admission for subsequent re-exportation after undergoing 

 some process of manufacture, and to the functions of free 

 ports. Mr. Bateman communicated also to the Institute the 

 progress made by his department of the Board of Trade in 

 collecting international statistics. The statistics of prices 

 in Prussia were treated in a paper submitted by M. Blau. 



M. Faure dealt with the data available for determining the 

 taxation of property in different countries, M. Neymarck with 

 the valuation of personal securities, M. de Foville with the 

 statistics of precious metals and currency, and Dr. Stieda with 

 historical questions relating to prices. 



The Demographic Section was occupied with various 

 subjects relating to census classification and population and 

 vital statistics, with which were also included judicial 

 statistics. For securing to the members of the Congress the 

 facilities generously provided by the Norwegian hosts of the 

 Institute, and for the completeness of the numerous arrange- 

 ments made, the chief of the statistical department of 

 Norway, M. Kicer, was warmly thanked by the delegates 

 who had the advantage and satisfaction of being present. 



