Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-21
A STATISTICAL BOARD
Names Made Public by Sec
retary Wilson Today.
THE CROP ESTIMATES
HOW THEY WILL BE MADE UP IN
FUTURE.
Difference Of Opinion as to the Neces.
aty of New June Crop
Report.
THE CROP ESTIMATES

"
direction OF Assistant Secretary Hays Of
the Agricultural Department. will here
after make up the estimates OF cotton,
wheat. corn and other crops will be COM
posed of Victor Olmstead. who succeeded
Edwin $. Holmes. jr.. as associate statis-
uclan OF the bureau of statistics: s. ID. Fes-
senden, an assistant statistician; George
Is. Holmes, chief of the division of foreign
markets, and w. w. Long. until recently
also an assistant statistician. The names
of the men who will make up the board
were given out by Secretary Wilson TODAY
IN the course Of little talk ON matters
connected with the reorganiza ton of the
bureau of statistics.
In explanation of the manner in which the
crop estimates would be made up hereafter
1t was stated that the board will meet I'm
the office OF the assistant secretary OF as-
rieulture to perform its labors. As the re-
ports from field agents come in they Will
be taken by Assistant Secretary Hays and
locked in a vault. When all of the reports
have been received the members OF tho
board will be summoned to make their esti.
mates. This work has been likened by MIR.
Hays 10 a school. He will serve as the
teacher and the field reports will he the
problems TO be solved.
The men will work independent Of each
other and their results will be submitted
to Mr.. Hays. who Will go over them after
the manner of passing upon examination
papers. The monthly reports will then be
made up from the independently determined
results OF the members of the board. the
final report to be the harmouizing of all.
This Plan More Nearly Accurate.
At best the governments crop statistics
are estimated but it is believed by Secre-
tar
of the opinions of the various statisticians
left in the service that this plan will bring
a more nearly accurate computation than
any means that can be devised
With the exception of the time consumed
in going over the field reports the board
members will perform the regular duties of
their present positions. They will not have
access TO any of the field reports until after
the doors have been locked. There will be
no telephone communicate with the OUT
side nor any chance of any signaling from
the room. The best talent I'm the depart
ment has been combined In making up the
statistical board. and Mr. Havs is now
giving this branch of the work what
amounts to nearly undivided attention. He
will personally attend the supervisory work
that has attached to the Office of chief
statstician in the past.
Mr.. Wilson today reiterated the statement
that Mr.. Hays will be actually as well as
nominally in charge of the bureau of statis-
edly be made in the personnel OF the bu-
reau as soon as he has had a chance to take
up the work of house-cleaning Just at
present Mr.. Hays is busy reviewing the
June report on the condition and acreage
of cotton for the purpose of determining
whether or not a new report is necessary.
Mr.. Wilson and Mr.. Hays are inclined TO
believe it is not. Secretary Cheatham and
the other officials of the Southern Cotton
Association, well as cotton growers gen.
orally, are inclined to think that the prep
aration and publication of an entirely new
report on cotton acreage is the only way
out of the muddle.
A New June Report.
Secretary Cheatham pointed out today
that a substitute report for the one issued
by the government on June was abso-
lutely necessary.
Not only is It necessary just at this
time" said Mr.. Cheatham. but It will be
even more necessary to have accurate and
trustworthy figures for this period, when
the cotton crop report Of next year is be-
ing made up.
1.-The comparison OF the statistics OF one
year with the succeeding period is one OF
the most important things in cotton crop
report, and it can easily be seen that IL
new report is not prepared and published
any comparison that would be made next
year with the present unreliable figures
would be of no value whatever.
While District Attorney Beach and the
other officials concerned in the inVestiga-
ton of the cotton scandal are extremely
retcent as to the progress that has been
made, enough was learned today on good
authority to warrant the statement that
former Associate Statstician Edwin s.
Holmes, who was dismissed by Secretary
Wilson, made not less than S250OOO. and
possibly double that amount, by means Of
leaks from the bureau Of statistics.
The secret service men who first invests
gated Holmes soon learned that he had
grown suddenly and wonderfully prosper
Gus, while receiving a comparatively small
government salary; that he was a high
roller and free spender, and that he had
accumulated a large amount of tangible
assets. Since them the inquiry into Holmes
affairs has been conducted with more
thoroughness, and 1t is alleged that the
former associate statistician made between
a quarter and half million dollars by his
manipulation of cotton figures.
This is, after all, not at all surprising,
when the unstable condition of the cotton
market and the vast interests involved are
taken into account. One prominent Wash
ington broker said to a Star reporter the
other day In discussing the cotton scandal
that If Holmes had come to him and offered
the same advance information that the
secret service report shows he disposed or
he (the broker) would have guaranteed
Holmes a million dollars profit on nothing.
"Of course l wouldn't have gone into
ANYTHING as crooked as that" the broker
FASTENED to add. he assumed an EXPIRES
sion of conscious rectitude, but II | had
/ could have made a million for Holmes
and lust as much for myself and that -