The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1905-06-25
.|MPUGNS MOTIVE
Of Mr.. CHEAlHAN|
HYDE Defends Cotton Stats
ties of Government.
SAYS LEAK is IMPOSSIBLE
Declares That Cotton Associations Pur-
pose Is to Stimulate the
Cotton Market.
SAYS LEAK is IMPOSSIBLE

That the official figures contained in
the monthly cotton report compiled by
the Department of Agriculture could
lave been given out in advance by any
official or employee connected with the
Bureau of Statistics, is very much
doubted by John Hyde. statistician OF
the department
Mr.. HYDE arrived In this city from
New York az o'clock last night, and
when seen at his home by a Times rep
resentative. said: Il have had but very
r.eager details of the substance of the
reports submitted by Richard Cheat
ham, secretary of the Southern Cotton
Growers Association, to Secretary Will
son, but from what / have inferred l
doubt very much il his drastic charges
will be substantiated
1T is plainly evident that there would
be a variance in the reports of the cot
ton crop issued by the Government and
that issued by the cotton association
tom the very fact that in compiling it's
report the cotton association is cog
infant Of the fact that by keeping the
report Of the crop at the lowest pos
bile figure the producers would in all
probability obtain a better price for
their cotton, while with u.s. we simply
promulgate the facts and figures sub
mftted from time TO time by our staff
of correspondents.
Mr.. Cheatham, N the charges SUBJ
naitted to the department, so I have
been informed, dwell. chiefly on the feet
that the figures pu. PORTING to have been
given out by a department official or
employe had bearish tendency on the
cotton exchange. and that fact alone
serves to demonstrate that the object of
the cotton associations arraignment
of the methods pursued in the guard
ing of the official figures prior TO their
publication as faulty, was for the p,1r-
pose of. in all probability. stimulating
the Gotten market
Question Brought Up Before
The House Committee on Agriculture
brought up a similar question last De-
cember, stating that there was great
dissatisfaction and want of confidence In
the report on cotton acreage issued by
the department. / explained to the en-
tire satisfaction of that committee our
system and method of crop reporting.
and IN view of the fact that that COM
mittee, representing as they did the
cotton growers Of the South, was con-
WINGED of the safeguard surrounding our
system, l am at a loss as to where Mr.
Cheatham has discovered this alleged
discrepancy In the department.
The department began it's crop re-
porting system with county correspond
ents about forty years ago, and 1t has
at the present time 2s9 correspondents
who have been reporting to 1t for TWEEN
- O
statistical agents We're added, each with
a Well organized corps of correspondents
entirely Independent of those reporting
to Washington In 1896 township CORE
| spondeIts were added and since / be-
came the statistician we have had re-
ports from ginners, and have made a
| special list OF bankers and merchants
and one of planters, and the reports
| from all these different classes OF cor
| respondents are tabulated separately
that Is to say. those of each class sep
arafely for each State. and the results
are arranged in parallel columns, and al
| the last moment. behind locked doors
| open the sealed reports of the State sta
| tistical agents and those OF the specia
| field agents and add their estimates ir
the proper places. And ] know the ten
dency. where there is one. on the par
| OF a state StattS11Cal agent TO De rather
| optimistic or rather pessinistic, as ths
| case may be. and am governed by. my
knowledge of the men and of the differ
ent classes of correspondents in work
| ing out the official figures.
THE average for each class OF CORE
spondents for each separate State i:
compared with the averages for all ths
other classes for that State in the ligh
| of their respective approximations t.
accuracy in other years. but there is NJ
| choosing between the reports OF two OF
more correspondents for the same 10
| eality, as some people suppose
Guarded Against Leakage.
I'm this way 1t can be seen that on
method Of crop reporting is extensive
and at the same time the figures sub
mitted are guarded against just sucl
possible leakage as Mr.. Chatham de
| clares to exist,
/ Mr.. Hyde did not consult with tn
Secretary upon his arrival here. but h
will be at the department on Monday
when it is expected that all phases o