Delaware gazette and state journal., 1899-11-09
STATISTICS 0E CITIES.

Upon the initiative of the New York
Reform Club committee on city affairs,
a resolution was passed by tho Fifty
fifth Congress calling upon the Com
missioner Of Labor to compile and
publish annually an abstract Of the
official statistics of cities The fist
volume has Just been issued in the
September number of the Bulletin of
the DepaI tment Of Labor, and we know
of no publication which contains in d
condensed and easily accessible form
such an array Of statistics regarding
city affairs, 1t is impossible to
enumerate in detail the subjects
covered. The most important are
population. deaths, arrests, con
viotions, excise, police, fire equip
ment, charities, schools, libraries, cost
OF gas, water and eiectric light works,
finance, &c.
The difficulties Commissioner Wright
had TO overcome render the report all
the more worthy of praise. Here were
lao cities keeping their STATISTICS
| according to different plans. No
attompt had been made to introduce
uniformity. and however excellent
each method may have been, it was
necessary to ADOPT uniform plan in
order to render the results of any value
at all. With the co operation of the
city officials, this has been done to
very successful degree. Upon certain
subjects, foi example, number OF con-
victions for various offences. the reports
are not as complete as could be wished.
But such omissions will grow less and
less, and in few years this annual
abstract of Statistics of Cities will
rank in value and interest with any
statistical work issued by any govern
ment of the world. Tho success Of the
present number far exceeds the antltl-
pntion of the most hopeful.
That there are inaccuracies is not 10
be denied, and some arc quite amusing.
For example, in Denver, there were
1,05l arrests for drunkenness and l.OSO
convictions. Evidently there were
some 26 persons who voluntarily ap-
peared before the judge and asked TO
be conpictod, or were left over from
the previous year. But possibly this
item belongs to tho third class of lies,
which have been grouped lies, d
lies, and statistics. y n,
The great practical value of this
abstract is principally in the direction
OF furnishing reliable data without
which progress is impossible, of in.
viting comparisons between cities and
thus of arousing a spirit of friendly
rivalry. San Antonio, Texas, which
I. this year occupies the unenviable
position of being the only city whicl,
sent in no reports whatever, will
scarcely continue to be unrepresenled.
To render comparisons more easy-
for the chief object of municipal
statistics is 10 show what is being
accomplished by different cities in tho
way OF solving city problems Inc
cities should be arranged in order OF
, their population rather than alphabeti,
, cally. For example, in the present
, tables Newport, KY, with Eopn,--
i lation OF 81 500 is next to New YORK
, with its 3,500,000 inhabitants. Now
municipal conditions in Newport are
I so different fIom those of New York
that there is.not single justification
/ Tor their proximity. One would never
/ think oil comparing tho statistics OF
, the two cities. New York should stand
i next to Chicago and Philadelphia, and
st. Louis and Boston. The aiphabsli-
! cal arrangement. permits q CITY TO be
, easily found, bntsa key at the begin,
ming of tho tables would do this ana
! the arrangement according to popu'
/ lation--a scientific classification
/ would greatly improve the value ana
usefulness Of the tables.
But all in all ono cannot praise 100
highly this first report. 1t is excel
n lent. and subsequent issues will pe
awaited with great expectation. Every
, citizen is under obligations not only 10
! the Reform Club committee on cily
i, affairs for tho origination Of the idea,
> but to Congress- and to Hon. Carroll
a ID; Wright for tho efficient way ID
/ which the idea is being carried out