Evening star., 1904-03-22

new bureau all oofsils were requested to
study our largely increasing immigration
and to report fully upon the character of
| immigrants embarking from their districts.
| the causes for their coming to this country,
the attitude OF their governments toward
| this exodus and comparison Of the classics
| of such immigrants. The responses to this
request are now mostly in. Three to six
months are require4afor the completion Of
such a special repofE Data commence to
arrive from the neAfby consulates within
four weeks. but suSh isolated districts as
| New Zealand, Tahiti. Dawson City. ETC.,
have to be heard from before the informa-
| ton Is complete.
| One and a half millions of envelopes were
| required last year 70 mail these consular
applying for them One thousand letters
requesting special information are received
! in Mr.. Monaghans editorial sanctum each
month.
Studying Great National Problems.
A creation of Mr.. Austin which has ex-
| cited great attention abroad is a series OF
special monographs discussing great inter-
national problems of current interest to this
| country. A German commercial paper re-
Gently suggested that the fatherland issue
| similar publications. AS soon as any inn
| portant question of national policy appears
| for public discussion it Is Mr.. Austin's
practice to incorporate in a monograph all
| of the data. historical. statistical, economic,
commercial anC industrial which can throw
| light on the problem. While I talked with
him there reposed on his desk the page
proof of four chsbrochures-on the COM
merce of Japan, Korea, China and Russia.
respectively. While the isthmian canal
question was uppermost in the public mind
he issued such monograph on the great
canals of the world. But his publication of
this class which excited the most attention
was devoted to colonial administration.
This appeared just at the time when the
nation discussing the future of the
Philippines, Hawaii and Porto Rico. Mr..
Austin read every bit of literature on the
subject accessible in this country. He then
went abroad and visited the colonial offices
of London, Paris. The Hague, Berlin and
Brussels. The Royal Colonial Institute of
Great Britain put at his disposal it's library
of 10000 volumes. sand similar organiza-
tions in the other capitals named extended
like courtesies. The International Colonial
Institute, with headquarters at Brussels
elected him member and invited him to
attend its Congress.
While the question of the trans-Pacifc
cable was upperm0st in the public mind
he compiled extensive monograph upon
the commercial cables of the world. APP
plication for copies of this have been made
by every important government, and 1t Is
conceded to be the most complete work on
the subject.
Before Mr.. Austin took charge of the bu-
reau of statistics no extensive analysis of
the exports of our manufactures had ever
been attempted He set about to determine
what proportion of each exported article
went to each foreign country. Although
he met encouragement at the outset, he
persevered until he had traced the distri-
button of our manufactures among the for
eign countries from 1890 to date, giving the
precise value and quantity of each article
exported, as we'll as its destination.
Studying Internal Commerce.
This bureaus division of internal COM
merce gives its exclusive attention to
few years ago. 1t was then that Mr. Aus
tin determined to analyze the commerce of
our great lakes He made trip through
that region. but was met only by dis
couragement. The law required no returns
of domestic coastWise commerce. To over
come this obstacle he devised d special
supplementary manifest which he fur
nished to every ship master on the lakes
with the request that it be filed out dur
ing each voyage and left at the customs
house of final clearing. Thus the bureau
Of statistics is now able to state to the
commercial world the number of bushels
of wheat tons of coal. pig iron. etc, car
ried on the lakesiI The lake commerce is
thus, for the first time. compiled, port by
rort.
concentration in our great interior points
of such articles comprise our great do
mesuc commerce-such as wheat corn,
cattle, hogs, sheep and the provisions into
which they are turned. cotton, iron cop
per, coal. etc. He succeeded in 6evising a
means of tracing the transportation of
these articles fromkthe great interior CEN
ters toward the Seaboard. from which that
portion not utilized in internal commerce
Is finally exported. After years effort
Mr. Austin obtained the services of DR.. J.
Franklin Crewell .Sthe noted economist and
author, who was formerly president of
Trinity College, North Carolina Dr. Crow
ell, as chief of the statistical bureaus
division of internal commerce. now pub
iishes monthly summary showing the
concentration and movements of articles
at, to and from ten selected points in our
interior. This is sent to the press of tbe
country. as well as to boards OF trade and
kindred institutions
Japan Studies Us Most
All OF the great powers are zealously
studying our commercial methods. and none
Is neglecting to inquire into the modus
operandi Of the bureau of statistics But of
this institutions foreign visitors. Mr.. Austin
tells me that the number from Japan have
vastly exceeded that from any other coun
try. This is a fact to be especially
noted at this time. and IL the island empire
mas been as active in studying foreign
war inventions as In inquiring into the
commercial enterprises of its rivals small
shouid be the wonder that its people have
so far fought its battles with such signal
success. Germany's degree of interest IN
our commerce has been second only to that
or Japan. The kaiser's government main
tains several commercial attaches, scat
tered among our great centers of trade
The names of these are however omitted
from the official diplomatic list. Italy has
formally accredited Prot. Antonio RayaioIi
as commercial delegate to this country and
registers MIN upon that list as a member
OF her ambassadors official suite. The
German system of commercial attaches to
thls country is contemplated by other of
the great European powers
Japan's Victory Better for Us.
asked Mr.. Austin as to the probable
erect of the present war in the far east
upon our trade and the progress of the
Yankee commercial invasion OF the orient.
1 object to the term commercial inya-
sion, although it seems to have been gem
erally adopted by our writer's" said he
Russia Is the producer of that class OF |