The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-11-21
TIE MORNING NEWS: TUESDAY. NOVEMBER 81, 1890
NO LEAK IN THE DEPARTMENT.
so SAYS SECRETARY OF AGRICuL-
TURE WILSON.


Has Investigated ms TO the Recent
Cotton Report and is Convinc-
ed There Is No Foundation for
the Charge-Deports Are Collected
From Thousands of Correspon-
dents-The Summary Is Made IN
With Great Care and Secrecy.
Washington. Nov. 90 do not believe
there are any leaks In this department In
connection with the cotton report, but.
should they exist, l will endeavor to locate
them and make an example OF the Offend
err"
This was the emphatic declaration of the
Secretary of Agriculture. made with an
sincerity to-day. when l called at the de-
partment 10 investigate the report that
certain favored spectators in cotton were
Furnished with advance information CON
corning the official reports on the cotton
crops by some one employed in Secretary
Wilson's office.
The secretary went on to say that he
made careful investigation of the alleged
leak in his department. and is convinced
that there is not the slightest foundation
for the charge. He called the operator
who handled the supplemental report sent
out last Tuesday. over which the alleged
scandal arose and the young lady made
an exceedingly interesting statement,
showing just how the information was dis
tributed. Afterward Mr.. Hyde chief sta
tistician. made a statement Of his connec~
ton with the transaction. showing JUST
how the cotton reports are made up ana
promulgated.
In view of the general Interest attaching
to this subject, Secretary Wilson gave a
statement of the official methods employed
in collecting and promulga,ing data re-
lating to the cotton crop. 1t Will be shown
that after all of the returns are in Mr..
Hyde, his chief clerk and his typewriter
alone know the exact contents of the re
port after it is finally completed and ready
for distribution.
Numerous Correspondents.
There are forty-one state agents en-
ployed by the agriculture department to
superintend the collection of statistics rel
alive to the production of cotton. These
state agents are paid from $25 to SIS per
month There are $3.50 correspondents To-
Gated in the cotton growing states, who
report direct to the state agents. There
are 2,627 county correspondents and 1881
assistants, who report direct to the de-
partment, and SO. 1876 township correspond
ents, who also report to the department
These reports are expected to reach The
department some time between the LIST and
10th of each month. In making up the
yearly report the department Is assisted
by SIS, 900 monthly correspondents, who re-
port on the cotton crops i'm their mmedi.
ate neighborhood and also 10000 farmers
who report on the crops Of their indlvid
ual farms.
In addition to these various sources Of
information the department also receive.
reports from every transportation line il
the cotton states-by rail or by water-or
the amount of cotton carried to points o
| origin and destination. The department
also gets reports from every cotton mil
| as to the amount of cotton consumed II
| the manufactured product. Thus 1t vii
| be seen that the cotton field is very thor
oughly surveyed by the department of ag
rculture
How Reports Are Made UD.
Now, as to the handling of this data ir
the department and the distribution ot
the monthly report over which so MANY
| alleged scandals have arisen during The
past ten or fifteen years. The work Is die,
| tributed among three separate division,
of the stausticians office The monthly
reports of the county correspondents arr
recorded by one set of clerks the reDorts
of the township correspondents by anoth.
! err division and the reports of the state
agents are handled exclusively by Chief
| Statistlcian Hyde and his Typewriter. Thu
three branches Of the work are kept sep
arate and distinct so that one division
| has no knowledge of what the other VIII
finally report.
The Information contained in the three
sets of reports is carefully analyzed and
| prepared for official printing by Mr. HYDE
| The monthly reports usually go to the
| government printing office about the 11tt
of the month. According to an estab-
lished practice of the department sum.
| mary of the report is given out for gen.
eraI publication on the 10th of each month
| The various cotton exchanges and other
| institutions specially interested I'm the cot.
| ton crop are always anxious 10 get these
| official summaries as promptly as possible
| In order that there may be no chance 70,
favoritism or discrimination In dlstribut
| ing this informal ton, an Arrangement wa,
made by which representatives of tn,
| Western Union and Postal Telegraph Com
| panies are allowed to go TO the agriculture
| department on the 10th day of each month
| at a stated time. and form direct tele
| graphic communication with the varioui
| cotton exchanges and other institution,
| served by the competing companies. Tn,
| contents of the report, in a condensed
| form, are given 10 the rival telegraph oper
| ators at the same time, and the news /.
| flashed to those interested la cotton in &C
| cordance with the facilities and connec
| tons at the disposal of the two companies
The three persons last handling the re
| port in its completed form are Mr. Hdye
| his chief clerk Mr. Rice, and a young ladJ
| typewriter.