New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-07-11
COMING STATISTICS.
THE INTERNATIONAL STATISTICAL
CONGRESS.


RESULTS OF AGRICULTURE, MANUFACTURING,
AND MINING-COMMERCIAL OBSERVATIONS
The eighth session of the International Sta
tisscal Congress TO have been held at ST. refers
burg In 1871 for connected with the pohuca
situation of Europe the time It was postponed oy INC
Russian Government until 1872. An Imperial Decree
Gated Nov "a, 1871 appointed committee TO ara" UP
Nh agaHffrojeL or programme for the Congress- ana
committee OF organization TO make other arrangements
for the coming The latter committee has one Oh
the Ministers OF the Empire az ITS oharman ana among
Ns yice-presidents Prince LObaDow-RostoWsky,
Deputy Minister OF the Interior and President OF e
Statistical Council; Gen. Greigh, Deputy Minister OF
Finance and President Of the Council OF Manufactures
The other committee ga commission pTtpdrdo"o Is
under the presidency OF NJ NJ. r. Semenow DHectoI Vi
the Central Committee OF Statistics and counselor oI
Rtate and embraces among its members number OF
prominent officials OF the Russian Government Inc
h1ed for the meeting OF the Congress TIE @'h OF
August next
IMPROVEMENTS IN cESsUs-TAKnG.
pamphlet Of some pages, received from ST. Peters
burg brings the results Of the labor of the Committee
OF Preparation The proper division Of the Congress into
sections was among the first things which engaged the
attention Of the Committee. II thought desirable
that the of sections should not be too large to al
low at least delegate from each country to take part
In EACH this being deemed necessary to give TO the
Jabors Of the Congress proper international character
The number is therefore, limited TO four to the first OF
methods of obtaining such statistics; TO the second
statistics Of industry; the third statistics Of commerce
and OF postal relations 20 the fourth statistics OF GRIM
ina Justice Before proceeding TO consider their pro
gramme detail, the Committee premise that 1t is SUBJ
ject modification in conformity with the suggestions
Of their foreign colleagues to whose consideration 1t is
submitted It's final form will be decided upon by pre-
hmnary Congress (acont Congress, which is to meet
four days before the opening of the regular session. The
subject of taking Of population has received
much attention in former statistical congresses, but the
Committee think there certain details which have
not yet been sufficiently elucidated while many
OF the resolutions heretofore adopted have been
shown by experience TO need revision The sys
TEN separate schedules for each family or each house
hold recommended by the Congress at Brussels and
again the session held in London has been applied on
larger OF smaller scale nearly every country In Europe
and has everywhere given excellent results But In the
census of Berlin In 1867 and that Of Great Britain in
1871 the household schedules replaced by schedules
for each individual be filed by the inhabitants them
selves Beside these schedules each head OF household
receives upon which he indicates the ties Of kin
dred or the economic relationship between himself and
the persons living with hin. The Committee
proposes for the consideration Of the Con
gress the question OF the relative advantages
and Of this method as applied to cites
and to the country respectively and how far 1t prac
tcable to lite intern ationa adoption Another
important subject which the Committee proposes TO sub
INIT TO the Congress in this connection is that Of the
adoption OF fixed nomenclature OF professions and oe-
cupatons each country that there may be no I'M
certainty the meanings OF the words used TO des
nate them The registry Of population during the
intervals between is another subject which the
Committee deem worthy OF attention, and they submit
for examination the following points: l. Correspond
enee the regsres Of population and the peri
odical returns. q Necessity OF distinguishing
between fixed and temporary population in the registry.
Settlements OF the forms and methods of registration
NJ ofrfefr offa 6fcfr z
ton and correction Of the registry
OBSERVATIONS THE PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF MAN.
The Committee give considerable prominence TO sta
tstcs bearing upon the physical development OF man.
The necessity Of great number OF observations upon
this subject at different periods of human life, was
noted 20 years ago by Queteet but that eminent savan
found OCCASION in the last edition Of his Physique
Soea published in 1862 to set forth with Just regret
the inadequacy of the observations heretofore made
and that lack of unity which often renders impossible
TO compare their results. The Congress OF
Berlin adopted series OF resolutions proposed
by Dr. Engel the collection OF data
relative the vitality and mortality Of the civil popu-
aon One the conclusions reached by this Congress
was that determine the sanitary condition Of popu-
aon il is necessary that statistics should be taken for
each individual through all the phases of his existence
from birth 10 death" The resolutions indicated
the epochs in human life around which should be
erouped the observations made upon persons IN health
az well the Observation-Disclosures, orphan asy-
luins, schools hospitals, Gc.-Where returns may be
prepared The necessity OF collecting information upon
the results obtained by gymnaste and similar assoca-
tons pointed out by the Congress, which also
prepared programme for statistics OF recruitments com
hight weight and the circumference
oil the chest OF each recruit III this connection the Com
Initee call attention the necessarily imperfect char
aetor observations made at single epoch OF hie and
that before the subject them has attained his full de-
velopment. Investigations relative 10 adult men, say
the Committee could be conducted 10 better advantage
IN the regiments than the moment OF enlistment Tor
eonscription and might be renewed several times dur
ing the term OF military service. In like manner Oh
servaiious might made the entrance OF the sick
into the hospitals during their OF treatment ana
finally upon their discharge The following are the par
teuar pointed 10y NJ Queteet subjects of invest-
CATION The night the weight the volume, proportional
development OF different parts OF the body, strength,
rate walking, respiration. the paise and the beat
ing of the heart, acuteness OF the five senses.
Tins far the observations made upon these points
have been very incomplete and they present the great
est diversity in their processes. Thus NJ Quetelet IN
working % the observations upon hight made IN differ
ent establishments in some cases in
elnded the Shoes while in others II was made without
them This eminent statscian, therefore insists upon
The necessity of specifying with precision the method Of
making measurements, and illustrates its importance
by the remark make ten successive meas
urements Of the chest without obtaining precisely the
same resnlts in any two He also points cut the
marked difference the results Of dynamometrc ex-
rriments upon the strength Of man. IN concluding
tr remarks upon this branch OF ther subject the Com
ntee make appeal persons interested in sanitary
stSStcs and especially 70 physicians, TO bring 70 the
dehtFauons Of the Congress the fruits OF their e1pe-
nceand their studies The desderaum il to deter
mine In objects having relation 10 the physical develop
nent Of gan upon which observation should be directed
well and OF observation.