The Minneapolis journal., 1902-05-12
GOVERNMENT CROP ESTIMATES

The regular monthly government report
covering winter wheat is due to-day. II
will give the condition of the growing
cron which in the report of April 10 was
placed at 1873. a.. y-..5.s..
There have always been differences OF
opinion as to how these government re-
ports should be taken. In the past 1T mas
not been unusual to find at times vide
divergence of opinion. One reason has
been the contention Of a large part OF
the grain trade that the reports were al
ways too low, and that for their proper in
depreciation due allowance for this should
be made When the census depart ment
gave the public last month the figures for
1899, this element found the contention
fully substantiated. The report was
printed in full in h e J o ur n at that
time, and it may suffice to say that in the
matter of wheat the census bureau found
our country to have raised in, 1899 about
no. 900, 900 bushels more wheat than the
quantity shown by the department of ag-
riculture for that year. .... ..
Charles B. Murray, secretary of the
Cincinnati chamber of commerce and a,
commercial grain statistician' of thirty
years standing, recently addressed Sec
retary Wilson suggesting that he ask
congress to appoint an Investigating COM
nittee to locate the blame for the diff
ference, and make it plain whether the
census department deserves full credence
or not. TO this Secretary Wilson has
replied. He acknowledges the wisdom OF
the suggestion, and admits that his de-
partment has been considering the adop-
ton of census data as basis for pos
sible modification of future agricultural
departn ent figures, but the census office
being Of tie de:,artment of the interior,
a coordinate branch of the government,
it wou1d not be proper for him as sec
retary of agriculture to ask for con-
gressional investigation.
l.. G. Powers, formerly of Minneapolis
now chief statistician for agriculture in
| the census office, is the man who has hac
to put the stamp of finality upon the cen
sus crop reports. Mr.. Powers is not al
all averse to an investigation. He makes
the very sensible suggestion that should
there be an inquiry it be on lines non
political. The statistics of grain are in
timately related to the commercial in
terests of the country, and it would be
better, he believes, to have a committee
made up Of members Of the Chicago Board
of Trade, Minneapolis Chamber of Com
merce, Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce
Louisville Tobacco Exchange and perhaps
one or two other influential commercial
bodies. -....
If the matter o. investigation comes tc
a head, Mr.. Powers suggestion should
commend itself. And it would seem that
since the public has shown disposition tc
place more reliance in the census figures
| with a consequent reflection upon the
|. agricultural department. that that depart
| ment would court investigation to be
placed right in the matter. And it would
seem that the government owes it to. the
great grain and allied interests of the
| country to make an investiga ton. No one
expects absolute reliability in figures GOV.
| ering proposition almost infinite in its
! extent, yet where there is such hopeless
| disagreement on a subject so important
| there is certainly defect in the system
| somewhere. .,.> -5-