The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-01-27
COMMISSIONER POOLE TALKS ON
 THE GATHERING OF COTTON STATISTICS

New Orleans, Jan. 26.-Hon. R. R. Poole, Commissioner of Agriculture and industries of Alabama. delivered an address this morning before the Interstate Cotton Growers Convention. Mr Poole handled his subject in manner indicative that he had given thought to it's importance and was listened to with marked attention. He said:
 Gentlemen of the Convention:
 The part you have assigned me in your deliberations today, to lead in the discussion of the Gathering of Cotton Statistics by Southern Commissioners of Agriculture" Is the most important and valuable suject which you will be called upon to consider. The gather ing of statistics has been found to cut a most important figure in fixing the price and influence the marketing of the staple. and 1t should be our chief aim and purpose to so conduct l It. with the utmost reliability and ao- solute correctness as to place at min mum the question of its accuracy and trustworthiness.
 How to obtain this result is prob lem for us to solve. There Is not | commissioner of agriculture in all this vast country of ours who, l dare say l has not been greatly concerned as to | how he would gather statistics of the growing crop and of the yield, that he could endorse as perfectly correct and | truthful. We must take it for granted that the heads of the agricultural de- partments of the various States are not only experienced and successful farm 1 CTS, but are also mea of more than or | dinary intelligence and who have q wide acquaintance within and through out the bounds of their respective | States. Most of us who go through q l primary election to secure a party | nomination for the offices we are filling usually get acquainted with the peo- 1 pie and that Is the first essential ele- ment in the plan I am about to pro- pose.
 Knowing the people then in each locality. we can. with some consulta- tion with others in the community. ar | rive at the proper selection of a man.
 in each required radius, whom we know to be honorable and trustworthy,
 to report at stated intervals the status
 of the growing crop. As a matter of course. we will have to take into con- sideration his environment and his op- portunities for securing the exact con-
 iitions, and the responsibility of those upon whom we rely; but upon the whole, if we are not mistaken in our l choice of the man; we can be assured
 that our reports will come up to q
 very fair average.
 I know and you know the many diff
 cuItfes with which we are to contend
 in the effort to properly perform this
 duty: how many obstacles are put in
 our way by the sharks and shylocks of the money world; the speculators who 1 are after the profit to he derived from depriying and robbing the honest pro-
 ducer of fair and just deserts; but if I we will do our part and stand firm and unyieldinE. the reports can and must be made so that they can be ab-
 solutely depended upon.
 Now having made and prepared the crop for the glns, we must make ar | engagements to have reports from that
 part of the work and we are 10 arrive
 in the same way at the character and
 standing of the ginner. and then seek
 to impress upon him the most grave
 and responsible duty he is called upon
 to perform, and in cooperation with
 the United States Agricultural officials
 we ought to be enabled to get homes,
 and truthful and reliable reports from
 the ginning.
 Gentlemen, let us resolve here to.