Evening star., 1932-09-25
|DR. HALL ASSA|LS
COMMERCE REPORT
Letter to Chaplin Charges
Suppression and Bistor-
,tion of Facts. 4

Suppression and distortion Of facts
in an important economic publication
Of the Commerce Department was
charged yesterday for second time
by DR.. Ray o. Hall, an economist, whose
discharge by the department year ago
caused tempest in statistical circles.
DR.. Hall made public a letter written
by him to Secretary Chaplin, and an
accompanying critique Of "The Bal
ance of International Payments of the
United States for 1884," the latest
edition of the publication which figured
In his dismissal and an ensuing investi-
cation by the American Economic Asso-
citation. 7
THE critique adduces evidence Of the
suppressing or distorting of fact in the
interest Of political expediency-fof
which your department became so
notorious under ex-Secretary Hoover
and DR.. Julius Klein" he wrote the
Secretary.
Besides this, he charged errors of
arithmetic running into hundreds Of
millions and an amazing heterogeny OF
blunders in fact, theory and meth
odology."
Discharged After Row.
Hall was assistant chief of the Com
merce Departments division of finance
and investment, when in June, 1881. a
preparation Of the balance led to his
discharge
A month after his dismissal he wrote
to Secretary Lamont charging the de-
partment with suppression of facts and
Justification Of figures. Deletion of his
references to the effect OF the American
tariffs and prohibition upon trade fig
ufed in the accusations.
Lamont asked tie economic aSsoci-
alton to make an investigation. A COM
mittee OF economists in December re-
ported Halls charges were not justified.
They declined, however, to pass on the
"propriety' OF Halls dismissal. and
criticized "a disposition for the depart
ment TO show undue timidity in giving
full publicity to factual material that
Will shed light on some Of our national
policies, such as the protective tariff. ("
The report DR.. Hall criticized yester-
day was compiled by Dr. Amos E. Tay-
lor, who succeeded Dr. Hall as assistant
chief Of the departments finance and
investment division.
In the foreword OF the Taylor report,
which DR.. Hall charged was fairly
pregnant with Republican propaganda, :"
1t was stated that the compiler received
the aid and cooperation of Mr.. Jones'
his division chief, and Dr. Klein. The
report was made public last July.
Chaplin Withholds Comment.
DE-. Hall recommended to Secretary
Chaplin that the publication be with
drawn from circulation ''as being so
erroneous and misleading as to be
worthless" and that measures be taken
ito prevent a recurrence of any such
debacle in oflcial statistics issued by
your department" 1t was said at the
department yesterday that Mr.. Chaplin
had received the letter and critique
but that there would be no comment
at this time
In his critique DR.. Hall devoted con-
siderable space to the alleged errors in
arithmetic. DR. Taylor's report, it was
recalled. was circulated by the depart
ment one week before its release date
Of July 7. Two days before this date
numerous errors were discovered in the
report, causing the department to issue
sheet of errata.
This sheet is said to have reached
some of the newspapers in time for cor
rections to be MADE, while it was re-
ported the corrections were not re-
ceived in time by others. 1t was also
said that The department in sending the
report out into the financial field at
tached the sheet of errata
The departments explanation as to
the errors was that because of econ
omy reasons it did not request revised
proofs from the Government Printing
ONCE and the errors were not caught
until after the complete report had
been printed
DR.. Hall acknowledged that .he re-
ceived the sheet of errata, but that
none Of the arithmetical errors cor
rected by the department appears
among the so listed in the critique.