The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-02-17
Wants Estimates Made on the
 Probable Consumption
LOOKING INTO STATISTICS
House Committee Begins Hearing to See If Bureau Can Be Improved and to Hear Suggestions
 Along That Line.

Washington, February 16.-"Gentlemen, cotton is King today. Cotton statistics are now on trial" With these words. Chairman Wadsworth of the house com mittee on agriculture, opened the general hearing on crop statistics before his com- mittee today. Assistant Secretary Hayes of the department of agriculture, Presi- dent Harvie Jordan of the Southern Cot ton association, Atlanta, Ga., J. A. Tay-' lor president of the National Ginners' association Dallas, Tex, and many south ern members of Congress, representing planters, were at the nearing.
 Assistant Secretary Hayes was the first speaker. He gave in detail the plan of the department of agriculture for gathering statistics and changes recently made in the system of the bureau of statistics. He said the department proposed to retain the crop reporting board; to have 2800 county reporting agents fl district agents and several supervising inspectors, who travel and instruct district agents. Diff ferent codes were to be furnished each dis trict agent monthly and the agents re- ports are to be given to computers in sections to avoid the possibility of leak age. With perfected reports MT. Hayes said the markets would be less affected. Frequent and accurate reports would work against the speculator he said, and the weather bureau reports will furnish guide as to conditions for the time be- tween reports
 Favor Acreage Census.
 MT Hayes said the department of agri- culture would be benefited greatly by hav- ing more agricultural statistics at it's command He said an acreage census should be taken every five years and would be of great assistance to the crop estimating board.
 When asked about the accuracy of the cotton estimates for last year. Mir. Hayes said that judged by the statistics in ginning the cotton report was within 2 per cent of the actual production.
 Reports Fairly Accurate.
 MT. Jordan said he believed the reports of the bureau of statistics had been fairly accurate and he said he believed that if the information gathered by the depart ment could be safeguarded its reports would be generally considered satisfact- ory as far as they go.
 In the opinion of MT. Jordan the govern ment was doing only one-half of it's duty to cotton interests. He said the reports were all for the use of the consumer and of little value to producers. He urged that estimates on the probable consump ton of cotton should be made by fed eral authorities Through American con- suls, he said, statistics could be gathered abroad. Of the census bureau, MT. Jor- dan said it should not attempt to deal in facts concerning crops unless 1t be equipped to handle facts.
 Should Have Uniform Bale.
 James R. Maccol. president of the New England Cotton Manufacturers associa- tion, said uniform bale should be agreed upon in computa tions, as the various bales confuse reports and encourage wild speculation. He urged that in giving out a condition report figures should not be given but the crop should be described merely as fair poor" etc. As condi- tion reports are specuations rather than positive facts, he said it is wrong for the department to name a fixed amount MT. Maccol said he favored a cotton estimate about December to come out on the same day with the ginners' report, but de- nounced the Keep commission plan to have seven reports year, and said a multiplicity of reports would encourage speculation and keep the market constant ly disturbed
 President Taylor Satisfied.
 President Taylor of the National Cotton Csinners association congratulated the de- partment of agriculture on its cotton re- ports, and said the total should be quite accurate but the reports on separate states had varied greatly and conse- ouently the speculators had avafled them- selves of the discrepancies. MT. Taylor said the department admitted that 1t takes the reports of four or live correspondents
 ofOro 4A 1n te Of all other correspondents. He urged that the ginning report of the census bureau and the cotton production report of the department of agriculture should be com- bined under one head This he said would simplify the compilation of both reports and lessen their cost He favored uni fornity of the terms in reports, and said 1t was desirable to have the annual re- port of cotton ginned, and that cotton pro- duced be announced be announced by the census bureau and the department of ag- riculture the same day. MT. Jordan stated that 1t has been reported to him from time to time that census enumerators ngeged in collecting statistics for the cotton ginners report are acting as cor respondents for New York cotton brokers and asked for information to whether any law was contemplated which would prevent the selling of information by gov ernment agents. Representative Burleson of Texas replied that bill Is now pending providing a heavy penalty for the dis closure of secret information concerning the crops by government employees, and he assured Mir Jordan that this bill will probably become a law in a short time.
 MT. Taylor complained to the commit tee that at the census bureau he was unable to get permission to look at the ginners' report for twenty-one counties in which he was especially interested as the total differed radically from figures the National Ginners association had compiled. He said he was permitted to look at cards for eight of the counties but could not get the others. As the gin ners report had been made public. he ex- plained to the committee that he saw no reason why Director North should regard any of the information on which the re- port was based as secret.