The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1903-02-17

engaged in ginning cotton through ~, NJ naenis
and nunluefihs 3as2e' Some criticism IA, IIu'l-
made upon the census Office to the efso. nas osea
list OF cotton gnncfies is not conni.tse lnas rs
secretary OF agriculture has stated r. sna II,
ms letter, bearing date Of January {. ias, 2
the department OF agriculture has 'svs, Tia.
respondents engaged in furnishino 9S's " cor.
ton upon which it bases its estfns,s lnioFns.
cultural products list OF 6tI1o esteitoail agr
engaged r. ginning cotton, In order 't 70 n
tain how Il was possible for the oens,. y sesF
obtain report which indicates upon he t yuee %
it represents practically the whole az ,s sse rs
from 32,5zs gins, If there existed in faet kefn
suen estaollsonents the director Of the cs1,s
requested permission from the secretary u eNse
culture to compare the two lists for ill., ~ esEl'
a. aScerta'ning the reason for this remarI.ps
discrepancy 's'Mae
This comparison we are informed -.
been completed for four leading cotton rIn now
/ States--namely, Alabama, Georgia So,,ts 'Enlns
lima and Texas-and will shortly be co Sis'o,
Tor the remaining cotton States So far 4 gpTto
/ comparison has progressed il has ds,,,ns.s ns
the correctness of the census Office list ssIs Na
developed the fact that the similar iis, n las
| department. of agriculture is the o,tgro,p4S ~, as
continuous compilation Tor years, unaccompani,aa
! by any systematic attempt TO eliminate The 49,.
OF establishments abandoned burned or coSsaS
dated, or OF changing ownership or manags~sa.
| The experience or the census office has dsr,aa"
change the personnel of the entire lis, u cotay
| ginners 1t follows that many OF the estsLlsl
ments on the census office list are now rsnr.
sented upon the list of the department Of ~
| culture by two, three, and in some cases H.
! half dozen more names, representing n,,.;.
| who have managed some ginning establisbm.s,
at some time. The returns of the census oiss
indicate that many OF these establishment
| change ownership management as Otter !,
three times in a single season.
The plan of obtaining the information from
the ginners has long been recognized BY eottnn
experts as the only source Of information w,b;sL
tG az To ci,,
| of cotton must first pass through gin beforr /,
reaches commercial channel. Recognizing M,
fact, cotton producers have most cordially M
dorSed the work of the census office and f,or
many quarters has come the suggestion that n.
only point of weakness in the system was II.
fact cotton producers have most cordially, n
formation compulsory 1t is believed that th,
modification OF the system will meet with M
most cordial approval Of the cotton growers and
the cotton ginners.
The practical utility Of these reports uuos
the cotton crop depends altogether upon their
transmission to the public during the period
when the maturing crop is passing from the field
the public shall accord to the statistics In Other
words, the statistics have only historical ysu.
il they are not published in time to become the
real basis of prices before the crop has passed
from the hands of the grower. In order to give
the reports this element OF value it is necessary
that they shall be issued at frequent interval,
during the harvesting OF the crop, and as on.
year follows another the amounts reported at
given dates in the several years will permit Of
| extremely accurate computations TO the CON-
paratiYe size OF the crop under immediate con-
sderation.
Impressed by this fact, congress, in eaactiHs
section OF the act for the establishment OF a
, permanent census office, required the director to
make weekly reports from the ginnersi but the
act was passed 1T so late date going into effect
p July I, 1909, and at a time when the census Of
fee was so engrossed in carrying out the pro-
vision of the prior act, which required rs
main reports to be completed and published by
, July I, COZ, that it found impossible al that
| time to effect arrangements for these cotton
ginning reports in season to permit OF the weekly
/ publications contemplated by the law
The director OF the census now informs Us
that with respect TO the cotton crop OF the cuff
rent year, while he may not yet be able to liter
, ally comply with the provision Of the census act
he will make reports at intervals so tTecueni
during the progress of the harvesting that all
p the practical benefits arising from conteEpoF-
{ aneous knowledge of the actual growth viii Dc
t successfully secured,
y The figures thus published will not be est.
mates but will be the actual Quantity Of cot a;,
! ginned to the date named, and in comparison WIZ
t similar figures for corresponding dates IN pro
, vous years will furnish for the hrst time trust
worthy basis for estimates as to the size Of IN. JUS
crop. Thus a complete check will tor the hs
/ time exist upon exaggerated commercial esh
r mates which are annually made Tor the puiPVs'
S OF magnifyng the size Of the crop with YsS
to purchasing foreign mill supplies at minimum
I price. This is notably true OF representative
e of those British interests which consume YEP
large proportion of the American cotton etpp
Not to multiply instances, It may De sla'eu We
y these estimates from English agents Tor the wv
, of the year 1902 have been already proven 70 81
ceed the actual growth of the year by dm9HT.i wv
VARYING from 900 600 to 100000 pales' I"
estimates OF this character, which, peIAaps' sr
e seriously affected the American na , r. + (,
tbpea ia 10 IL Ma NJ
and Mr. Buston OF Liverpool, Ensianu, uu' 81
November and December last, VINO pseeI IT, ~
growth at from II,25o,ooo to I25oo'oyV 70 ~
p At this time no estimates run highei 'Hs" ~
Experience has proved that no scheme "a, ca
be devised, outside Of an actual per'9ulesI = an
= of the gins which be accepted as sal si;n,
+ trustworthy basis upon which TO attempt ~ ror
. mary estimates Of the size Of the growing "o.
This plan az obtaining the compulsLLs .t,
operation OF producers 10 secure .FustW0.s s.;,t
r. tistical information, it IS believed WI -, !
H ! obtaining accurate statistics at n'' ~ ssne,
4 cost 10 the government The situation " isrit
to cotton affords a most promising oPp.S II
10 test the practicablity of such pan III l. IN
shall prove successful in this instance sa, he {,
d ieved that the method will ultimately ~,
tended to other great staple crops IKE wrSI
II which the original bill for which this afne"u"''
e is a substitute, made to apply
Three points at least in this presentapo"
= the case from the biased census stanapoi"
d appeal to the careful student. One Is the 80,
;, ment that the census bureau is in possession y
n verified list Of all the establishments ehssss-
h ginning cotton throughout the South ano =
4 ing the number of such establishments a. 3-' =
4 and then making statement comparns i
r figure with the number Of gins with wu'1u
IS department Of agriculture claims TO DC "a mi
$ This comparison is rather lame az peg &c bea,
= Secretary Wilson and St7tistician Hyoe AZ I'm
t. from it will be well for the people OF tns ~
u TO reserve their opinions. ,... es