The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-11-12
Stats Will Suffer When Figures
 Are Compiled
MANUFACTURERS STUBBORN
Hesitate About Submitting Figures, Although They Are Held In the Strctest Confidence By
 the Census Bureau.

Washington November 11.-tspecial.)-
 If Alabama manufacturers want their 1 state to have the high place in rank
 among the states to which 1t is entitled | it will be necessary for them to immedf-
 ately comply with the request of the cen
 sus bureau and furnish Its agents with
 the information they ask The govern
 ment will protect the manufacturers In l the detailed information they furnish; II l is simply a question of whether they wish
 the state to fall far short of its proper position with the inevitable loss which
 would result owing to outsiders accept- | ing incomplete census returns as rep
 resentative of actual conditions.
 | The recent act of Congress which re-
 uuires the census of manufactures every | five years has been found very difficult of operation in some states. The manu-
 lecturers in Alabama have given more
 trouble to the bureau than in any other
 state and as a consequence the bulletin
 from that state has been considerably de- layed, and will necessarily be imperfect
 unless the manufacturers can see that 1t
 
 nish these reports.
 | Representative Bowie of Alabama today
 had conference with Director North of the census bureau on the subject, and | in relation to it said
 Labor Under Misapprehenslon. l Tt seems to me that the manufac- turers of Alabama, who have failed or ! l,,-a inf
 nation necessary to compile true re- port of the manufacturing Condition of the state, have acted upon misapprehen- l sion of facts, and their conduct may re- suit in giving the state a lower position | in respect to progress and growth on this | line than it actually deserves. It is true that many people seem to think that sta | tistics collected by the census bureau are of no value and if all people concurred
 In that opinion they would be of no value.
 It might be best if we had no census at all, but in as much as we have a census, and have had since the organiza-
 ton of the government, and in as much
 as thousands of people rely and largely act upon the reports of the census bu-
 reau 1t is manifest that if our state is not truly reported, 1t must do 1t some
 harm.
 For instance, for many years the state
 banks in Alabama succeeded in defeat
 ing bill requiring them to publish state ments from time to time. They were afraid
 of the publicity. The comptroller of the
 currency Is required by law to publish
 annually the condition of state and na-
 tional banks and his report is regarded as
 an authority on that subject. Of course
 he does not undertake to go into the l condition of state banks as fully as he | does the national banks, but they have | always published the consolidated reports of state banks annually. The report for 1904 showed only about $30Oo,o0o on de- | posit in Alabama state banks, when in {, fact these banks had over $20,000,00O on | deposit.
 Has Been Good Thing.
 This condition of affairs has existed | for years and Alabama's banking status before the country has been exceedingly | low. due to the fact that only about 1-6 1 of the state banks would voluntarily
 make report to the comptroller of the currency. Since the legislature has pass
 ed a law requiring these statements twice
 year, the comptroller of the currency
 has been furnished a copy of the same, and they will show for 1905 difference of ST. GOO, 900, as compared with what they showed in 1904. Of course. there was | no such gain in fact, but there was in
 reality a large and very substantial one. | But the point is that the official record, | by which strangers were governed prior | to the operation of our new statute. show | ed Alabama's banking capital and re- | sources as represented by state and pri- | vate banks, at about 1-5 or 1-6 of the | actual amount
 | Unless the manufacturers will volun- | tarily come to the aid of the census
 bureau, and furnish correct information | for census purposes, our relative posi-
 tion as a manufacturing state Is bound
 to suffer-
 | Director North Writes Letter. | Director North has written MT. Bowie a letter on the subject, as follows: "Washington, Novetsber Il 1905. Hon. Sydney J. Bowie, Ho1se of Repre- l sentatives. Washington, D. c.
 Dear Sir:-Referring to our conversa- l tion of yesterday concerning the can- | vass of Alabama for the census of man
 ufactures of 1905, find that the collection of reports from the manufacturers in the state was commenced in the early part of | December, 1904. when schedules were
 mailed to every establishment in the
 state with the request that they be pre- | pared and returned to the office, thus
 enabling an early compilation of the sta
 tistics and avoiding the expense and de-
 lay which would be incident to visit by | a special agent. A very small proportion | of the establishments responded to this
 call and 1t was found necessary to divide | the state into districts and assign each 1 district to a special agent. These agents were selected from the regular clerical | force of the office and they commenced | actual field work on or about Febru-
 ary Il.
 Unusual Difficulties and Delay.
 Each agent had sufficient work to keep | him employed about ninety working days | provided he met with ordinary success in
 securing the reports. From the reports
 of the agents, 1t appears that they met | with unusual difficulties and delay in se- curing the desired information and the
 canvass dragged along until about Au- gust 31. 1905, when the last agent was | instructed to return to the office. it being ! found impossible to collect reports from