Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-03-29
DUPLICATION OF WORK
Reports Twice Made on the
Same Subject.
COLLECTING STATISTICS
ADVANTAGE OF PROPOSED DE-
- PARFMENT OF COMMERCE.
Testimony of Prof, Walter f. Wilcox
and Prof. w. J. MCGEE Before
House Committee.
COLLECTING STATISTICS

House committee on commerce this morn
Ing on the subject of the proposed new de-
partment of commerce and labor. Prof.
Walter F. Wilcox of Cornell University,
and an expert of the census bureau told of
statistical duplication in the various gov-
ernment departments. and Prof. w. J. Nc
Gee. ethnplogist in charge of the bureau
OF ethnology, detailed the small beginning,
and subsequent growth of all OF the gov
ernment departments.
Duplication of Reports
Prof. Wilcox was the first to be heard
I'VE have thus two publications reporting
] the movement of goods. both al the port Of
departure and the place of arrival, one
coming from the State and the other from
the Treasury Department" he said.
There was also duplication OF work in
compiling wage statistics, the department
of labor and the census bureau both doing
this work. In this way the government
was training up two sets Of experts.
Mr.. Corliss asked if il would not be a
good move to give the labor bureau entire
control of this subject.
The answer was that the census bureau,
by reason of its opportunity of getting at
the manufacturing establishments Of the
country, could and did compile much more
satisfactory statistics.
The whole inquiry on the part Of the GEN.
sus was conducted through the manufac-
turer. The labor bureau work differed from
| this in that its statistics were collected
from the laborers. The best results could
be obtained by carrying on both methods,
but having the work done under one head.
A striking Illustration OF another dupli-
cation was in regard to the wheat crop OF
1899. which was reported as 65l .ooo.ooo
bushels by the census Office, while the Ag-
ricultural Department reported 54I .030.109
bushels as the crop for the same period.
If this work was carried on by two sep
arate departments criticism was sure to
be made.
AS to which department should do this
work Prof. Wilcox was undecided.
Another mix-up which made statistical
work unsatisfactory where divided was
this: In the Treasury Department. for in
! stance, Madeira is classed part of Eu-
rope. while the State Department classed
Madeira as N Africa On the question of
nationality, he said, the immigration bu-
reau of the Treasury Department classed
! immigrants by race and nationality, while
the census Office classed foreigners neither
by race nor nationality, but by country of
birth
Manufactured and Farm Products.
Discussing the line which the census bu-
reau draws between manufactured and ag-
ricultural products, Professor Wilcox ex-
planned that it was necessary TO make this
line an arbitrary one. The rule was this:
Everything done on the farm is regarded
an agricultural product, while everything
produced off the farm is regarded as a
manufactured product. In this way wheat
| product, while flour and gtnned cotton was
a manufactured product. Butter and cheese
| made on the farm was an agricultural pro-
duct, but butter and cheese made off the
farm was a manufactured product While
this was obviously Illogical in some respects
it was absolutely necessary to draw this
line somewhere. Where ii should be drawn
in determining the work for the new depart
lnent of commerce. SO not to conflict with
the agricultural and other departments was
a most Interesting, but difficult question.
Department Development.
Prof W. J. McGee in charge OF the bu-
reau Of ethnology, gave the committee q
comprehensive scientific illustration of the
conception and growth of government de-
partments Before beginning this explana-
ton he remarked that he appeared neither
for or against any of the pending bills but
in his opinion the establishment of the new
department would give an opportunity for
the federal government.
A diagram which Prof MCGEE exhibited
gave view of the comparative growth of
the territory, population and wealth of the
country, as well as the growth and Juris-
diction of the government departments. He
called attention to the fact that while the
growth of the area great, the growth
of population was greater, and that OF
wealth the greatest of ALL In order to
transact the federal business, he said, the
departments had grown up, like our earlier
cities, with crooked and narrow streets 1t
was now time TO lay out the future work
Prof McGee will continue his remarks
Monday