The Sun.
London, England, 1854-09-15 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

The following circular has been addressed by the
Poor-Law Board to the officials of the Unions in the
several counties where the collection of facts relating
to agricultural statistics is pi oposed to be made for
the preseht year :

"Poor-Law Board, Whitehall, Sept., 1854.

" You are doubtless aware that (at the request of the
Lords of the Committee of Council of Trade and with the
express sanction of Parliament, the Poor-Law Board
undertook to collect the agricultural statistics of Norfolk
and Hampshire for the year 1853, through the agency,
wherever practicable, of the boards of guardians of those
two counties and their officers.
" The large measure of success which attended that ex-
periment to obtain reliable information on a most im-
portant subject, considered in conjunction with the com-
plete success of somewhat similar operations in three
Scotch counties, has led to a renewal of these undertakings,
on a more extended scale in the present year.
" The experiment for 1 i 54 will embrace the whole of
Scotland and the following counties of England and Wales
—viz., Norfolk, Suffolk, Southampton, Wilts, Leicester,
Berks, Worcester, Salop, West Riding of York, Brecon,
and Denbigh.
" In Scotland the proceedings will be conducted, as in
1853, under the auspices of the Highland Society. In
England and Wales it is intended to put in motion the
machinery which worked, upon the whole, so satisfactorily
in Norfolk and Hampshire.
" I am therefore instructed by the Poor-Law Board to
request you to have the goodness to move the board of
guardians over which you preside to aid in the accom-
plishment of an object admitted to be of great national
importance.
In Norfolk and Hampshire it was found that this
object was best promoted by the formation and co-opera-
tion, in every union, of a joint committee of owners and
occupiers, called the Statistical Committee, with the
chairman of the union for its chairman, and by employing,
with the concurrence of the guardians, the clerk of the
union as classifier and the relieving officers as enumerators.
" The countenance and support which a committee so
constituted affords, by the mere fact of its existence, as
Well as by the employment of the union officers under its
directions, go far to insure success, and I trust you will
find no difficulty in organising such a committee among the
leading agriculturists of your union. It is not, however,
essential, although certainly most convenient, that the
committee should consist exclusively of members of the
board of guardians, or that the persons whom it may em-
ploy to enumerate and classify the required statistics should
be selected exclusively from the officers of the union.
" The duties of the committee are not of a nature to sub-
ject its members to much personal trouble. All, or nearly
all, they have to do may be summed up under the two fol-
lowing heads :
" To induce, by their example and influence, their neigh-
bours to fill up their schedules before the 30th of Sep-
tember.
" To superintend the labours of the officers engaged in
the inquiry and to examine and verify the results.
"Annexed, for your own and your board's information,
are copies of the various documents which it has been
deemed desirable to prepare for this inquiry. These docu-
ments are substantially the same as the documents used in
the statistical inquiry of 1853, though certain modifications,
of which practical experience hes suggested the propriety,
have been introduced into them.
" I have to acid that the clerks of unions, if employed as
classifiers will be remunerated by a payment at the rate of
10s. per 100 completed schedules A and B, together with
the further gratuity of 2 guineas for the preparation of
schedule C and that the relieving officers, if employed as
enumerators, will be remunerated by a payment at the
rate of 40s. per 100 completed. schedules A and B, together
ith a bounty, on the present occasion, of ss. per 100 ache-
d..des whenever the difficulties surmounted or the special
merit of the work performed shall, in the opinion of the
Poor-Law Board, appear to call for some extra compensa-
tion.
" The Poor-Law Board, are, however, particularly anxi-
ous that in selecting the enumerators the relieving officer
should not be employed if any fear can reasonably be en-
tertained that such employment would be prejudicial to
the interests of the union.
" The results of the experimental proceedings in Norfolk
and Hampshire, which were unavoidably prolonged through
a severe winter, seem to prove that the relieving officers
may, without detriment to the administration of relief,
properly be intrusted with this employment. Still, the
Poor-Law Board are very far from wishing to restrict
boards of guard iaoi to the elopleytuent of their Officers
•

whenever they see occasion to apprehend that It will be
prodr.ctive of inconvenience or mischief.

" It is desirable that the board of guardians should pro-
ceed as soon as may be to nominate the Statistical Commit-
tee, and appoint their clerk to be classifier, and the reliev-
ing officers to be enumerators, or (if deemed more advis-
able) recommend for thoseoffices other persons in their stead,
communicating to me the result of their determination.
" I remain very faithfully yours,

Poor-Law Inspector.
" Chairman of tho Board of Guardians."

"LIST OP THE DOCUMENTS ANNEXED.

" I. Copies of Sir John Walsham's and Mr. Hawley's
reports on the agricultural statistics of Norfolk and
Hampshire, and of Sir John Ws.lsham's supplementary
report.
"2. Instructions to the classifiers and enumeratora.

" 3. Schedules A, B, and C, with the enumerators' auxi-
liary sheet and exemplifications.
"4. Letter for the Poor-Law inspector to the parish
officers."