The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-04-28
Labor Bureau Officials Dis
cuss Figures-Welconed
by Commissioners Mac
farland-Good Attend
anCe.
Meeting Presided Over by
Carroll D. Wright-Ad-
dress by S. N, D. North,
Director of Census.

The opening session Of the nineteenth
annual convention of the association of
officials of he bureaus of labor statis-
tics of America was held this morning
in the rooms OF she Interstate Commerce
Commission.
Commissioner Wright Presides.
Carroll D. Wright, United States Com
missioner of Labor and president OF the
association, presided, and introduced the
Hon. H. 3. F. MacfarIand, District Com
missioner. who delivered the address of
welcome to the labor commissioners.
Mr.. Macfarland expressed his pleas
ure at being able to welcome a body of
men which is doing so much for the
country. He said:
Mr. Macfarland's Address.
TT IS a special honor to welcome to
the Capital of the United States the
members of this convention, for you are
the men. in the United States and Can
ada, who have probably done more than
any other equal number Of men toward
a right solution of what we call the
problem OF labor and capital The lat
est and greatest service which you have
rendered, the noble work of your presi-
dent, Carroll D. Wright. Commissioner
of Labor. IN connection with the settle
Iaent of the anthracite coal strike, IS
still so fresh IN the public mind that II
is only necessary 10 mention il in order
to prove the value Of your deeds.
The men who first suggested. forty
years ago. the establishment of bureaus
Of labcr statistics in the United States
and induced Massachusetts TO lead the
way, in 1863. with the first bureau,
buiIded far better than they knew.
Whatever their motives may have been
and whatever their hopes may have been.
they did not see the remarkable de-
velopment OF their idea. At first it
seemed to many as though these bureaus
woutd be political and partisan. and
therefore incapable OF rendering a real
service to the community
Partisan Figures.
Figures will not lie. but figures do lie
They lie most unscrupuIously when they
are figuring for partisan purposes. There
is one thing worse than having no statis-
tics and that is to have partisan statis-
tics.
If the officials OF the bureaus OF Ia
Dor statistics, and especially the officials
Of the United States bureau, had been
generally partisans in their work, ne
result would have been worse than use
less. They would never have risen out
O the status of mere statisticians OF
the lowest sort. But because they
generally did their work honestly. in
partially, and with a desire for truth,
rather than TO prove any theory, they
rose to the plane Of sOcioIogists while
helping 10 settle in the most practical
way. economic questions of the greatest
importance.
Z congratulate you on this splendid
success, which is of worldwide signif-
cance. characteristic of the altruism Of
our time, and yielding TO those who
have given it imperishable honorz."
Delegates to the Convention.
The delegates TO the convention are
from thirty-two States in the Union
and the Dominion OF Canada. They are:
Carroll D. Wright. Washington. D. c.;
L.
f. Y. Myers. San Francisco. Cal; James
T. Smith, Denver. Col; Harry E. Back,
Hartford. Conn; J. A. Czizek. Boise
City. Idaho; David Ross, Springfield,
H.; B. T. Johnson, indianapolis Ind.
r. d. Brigham, Des Moines, Iowa: W
l.. A. johnson, Topeka. Kan, Lucas
Moore. Frankfort, Ky: Thomas Harri-
son. New Orleans. La; Samuel ". Mat
thews. Augusta, Ne; Charles F Pidgin,
Boston, Mass; William Anderson, JET
ferson City. Mo; Thomas A. Smith. Bal
timore. Nd; Scott Griswold, Lansing,
Mich; John ODonnen. St Paul Mimi
J. \. Ferguson, Helena, Mon; C E
Watson, Lincoln, Neb-; Lysander II.
Carroll. Concord, \. H: William Stains
by, Trenton. y J; John McMackin. Al
bauy. y. Y; Henry B. Warner, Raleigh,
y. c.; II. L Thomas. Bismarck, N d;
Il. D. Ratchford. Columbus, Ohio; Rob
ert CIockling, Toronto, Canada: James
NJ. Clark. Harrisburg. Pa. Henry E.
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