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Improvement of Official Statistics.
IMPROVEMENT OF OFFICIAL STATISTICS.-THE BIRTHDAY HONOURS.
36
St. John Ambulance Association will find
their
numbers
in
the
first
coordination
instance, and his advice
was
followed, committee
representative advisory through allay departmental suspicion and opposition. Sir CHARLES DILKE, however, in his address, expressed the ing is one first aid " may be required, and if ever what Mr. KIPLING opinion that a mere meeting of statisticians from the calls "the real thing " happens so as to affect our territorial various departments would be an insufficient result of our forces directly, it will be too late to remedy deficiencies labours; a permanent statistical direction is, I think, which in peace time we may have regarded with indifference. required." It is obviously necessary, with a view to the There is a branch of life-saving and first aid to which it is improvement of official statistics, that the chief of the most appropriate to call attention at the present season. statistical branch of each Government department charged With the warm weather bathing becomes universal, and with with the preparation of statistics should be a trained the advent of the summer holidays drowning accidents figure statistician. If this condition were fulfilled it would then very frequently in our newspapers. These, be it remem- become a question whether M. CHEYSSON’S proposal for the bered, are the fatal cases as a rule, some of which might creation of a consultative council, consisting of the chiefs of have been averted by means of a knowledge of how to aid a the statistical branches of the principal government departstruggling swimmer or how to resuscitate the insensible body ments, with, perhaps, one or two added unofficial statisbrought to shore apparently dead. The cases in which ticians, would not be preferable to the creation at present of knowledge of how to save life has figured, particularly the directing central statistical department recommended by when it has been exhibited in the less heroic manner by Sir CHARLES DILKE. It certainly appears that to divorce treating the half-drowned person, are often not reported, and the compilation of official statistics from the executive staff we would commend the first aid to be rendered in such having the control of the collection of the statistical material cases to the attention of all. would be a doubtful advantage and would involve some risk
augmented.
It is to be
hoped that such will be the case, for the trainof practical utility in whatever circumstances
a
in order to
’’
a
deterioration in the result, since the true value of statistics depends much upon an accurate appreciation of the of
Improvement
of Official Statistics.
Sir CHARLES DILKE in his address in November
precise method possible error.
of collection and of its various
sources
of
last, We cannot, for instance, imagine that to Royal Statistical Society, revived an transfer to a central statistical office the preparation important and interesting question which was considered of statistics of population, births, marriages, and deaths and reported upon by the Official Statistics Committee from the Registrar-General, who is the administrative appointed in 1877 by the late Mr. W. H. SMITH when chief of the large staff of outdoor officers who furnish the Secretary of the Treasury, the final report of which com- returns from which these statistics are compiled, would have mittee was issued in 1880. This report suggested the At the same time we wish every any beneficial result. creation of a small central statistical department for the success to Sir CHARLES DILKE’s desire for the creation of general supervision and control of official statistics, and Sir some central statistical authority with administrative or CHARLES DILKE in his address strongly urged the increased consultative power to promote greater uniformity and further the of 30 for in this after action necessity, lapse nearly years, improvement of our official statistics which are very generally direction. At the last meeting of the Royal Statistical Society admitted to be necessary. on May 16th Mr. ARTHUR L. BOWLEY, M.A., read a paper also dealing with the desirability of creating a central statistical authority in order to promote the improvement of official national statistics. In this paper, having regard to the object in view, it was perhaps natural that Mr. BOWLEY "Ne quid nimis." should have condemned somewhat too generally the value of the statistics issued by the various Government departments. THE BIRTHDAY HONOURS. The want, however, of uniformity and of general coordination IN the long list of birthday honours published last in the statistics prepared and issued by different executive week the following names of medical men occur :-Sir departments has long been generally admitted, although no Thomas Lauder Brunton, LL. D. Aberd. and Edin., M. D. Edin., measures have yet been adopted for carrying out this reform F.R.C.P. Lond., D.Sc. Edin., F.R.S., and Professor William since the recommendation made in the report of the committee Watson Cheyne, C.B., LL.D., M.B., C. M. Edin., F. R. C. S. D.Sc. Oxon., F.R.S., upon whom Baronetcies have referred to. Sir CHARLES DILKE and Mr. BOWLEY give many Eng., been conferred ; Brevet Colonel David Bruce, R.A.M.C., striking examples of overlapping and even of contradiction in C.B., F.R.S., Mr. Robert William Burnet, M.D., C.M. separately issued official statistics. M. CHEYSSON, an eminent Aberd., F.R.C.P. Lond., and Mr. Peter O’Connell, M.D., French statistician, published in 1882 a report on the condi- M. Ch. R. U. I., who have received the honour of Knighttion of Government statistics in various European countries, hood ; William Henry Power, C.B., who has been promoted with a view to the creation of a general supervising and con- from a Companion of the Order of the. Bath to be a Knight Commander of his Order ; Lieutenant-Colonel Johnston trolling authority in France, in order to bring about Shearer, I. M. S., D.S.O., who has been made a Companion of harmony, proportion, order, and uniformity of arrangement the Bath, and Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Frederick Perry, in national statistics." As a result of this report a French I. M. S., honorary surgeon to the Viceroy, and principal Conseil Superieur de Statistique, modelled on that of of the Medical College, Lahore, who has been appointed was in founded 1885. M. CHEYSSON recommended the Indian Empire. Sir Lauder Brunton, a of Belgium, Companion as
President of the
Annotations.
"
36
St. John Ambulance Association will find
their
numbers
in
the
first
coordination
instance, and his advice
was
followed, committee
representative advisory through allay departmental suspicion and opposition. Sir CHARLES DILKE, however, in his address, expressed the ing is one first aid " may be required, and if ever what Mr. KIPLING opinion that a mere meeting of statisticians from the calls "the real thing " happens so as to affect our territorial various departments would be an insufficient result of our forces directly, it will be too late to remedy deficiencies labours; a permanent statistical direction is, I think, which in peace time we may have regarded with indifference. required." It is obviously necessary, with a view to the There is a branch of life-saving and first aid to which it is improvement of official statistics, that the chief of the most appropriate to call attention at the present season. statistical branch of each Government department charged With the warm weather bathing becomes universal, and with with the preparation of statistics should be a trained the advent of the summer holidays drowning accidents figure statistician. If this condition were fulfilled it would then very frequently in our newspapers. These, be it remem- become a question whether M. CHEYSSON’S proposal for the bered, are the fatal cases as a rule, some of which might creation of a consultative council, consisting of the chiefs of have been averted by means of a knowledge of how to aid a the statistical branches of the principal government departstruggling swimmer or how to resuscitate the insensible body ments, with, perhaps, one or two added unofficial statisbrought to shore apparently dead. The cases in which ticians, would not be preferable to the creation at present of knowledge of how to save life has figured, particularly the directing central statistical department recommended by when it has been exhibited in the less heroic manner by Sir CHARLES DILKE. It certainly appears that to divorce treating the half-drowned person, are often not reported, and the compilation of official statistics from the executive staff we would commend the first aid to be rendered in such having the control of the collection of the statistical material cases to the attention of all. would be a doubtful advantage and would involve some risk
augmented.
It is to be
hoped that such will be the case, for the trainof practical utility in whatever circumstances
a
in order to
’’
a
deterioration in the result, since the true value of statistics depends much upon an accurate appreciation of the of
Improvement
of Official Statistics.
Sir CHARLES DILKE in his address in November
precise method possible error.
of collection and of its various
sources
of
last, We cannot, for instance, imagine that to Royal Statistical Society, revived an transfer to a central statistical office the preparation important and interesting question which was considered of statistics of population, births, marriages, and deaths and reported upon by the Official Statistics Committee from the Registrar-General, who is the administrative appointed in 1877 by the late Mr. W. H. SMITH when chief of the large staff of outdoor officers who furnish the Secretary of the Treasury, the final report of which com- returns from which these statistics are compiled, would have mittee was issued in 1880. This report suggested the At the same time we wish every any beneficial result. creation of a small central statistical department for the success to Sir CHARLES DILKE’s desire for the creation of general supervision and control of official statistics, and Sir some central statistical authority with administrative or CHARLES DILKE in his address strongly urged the increased consultative power to promote greater uniformity and further the of 30 for in this after action necessity, lapse nearly years, improvement of our official statistics which are very generally direction. At the last meeting of the Royal Statistical Society admitted to be necessary. on May 16th Mr. ARTHUR L. BOWLEY, M.A., read a paper also dealing with the desirability of creating a central statistical authority in order to promote the improvement of official national statistics. In this paper, having regard to the object in view, it was perhaps natural that Mr. BOWLEY "Ne quid nimis." should have condemned somewhat too generally the value of the statistics issued by the various Government departments. THE BIRTHDAY HONOURS. The want, however, of uniformity and of general coordination IN the long list of birthday honours published last in the statistics prepared and issued by different executive week the following names of medical men occur :-Sir departments has long been generally admitted, although no Thomas Lauder Brunton, LL. D. Aberd. and Edin., M. D. Edin., measures have yet been adopted for carrying out this reform F.R.C.P. Lond., D.Sc. Edin., F.R.S., and Professor William since the recommendation made in the report of the committee Watson Cheyne, C.B., LL.D., M.B., C. M. Edin., F. R. C. S. D.Sc. Oxon., F.R.S., upon whom Baronetcies have referred to. Sir CHARLES DILKE and Mr. BOWLEY give many Eng., been conferred ; Brevet Colonel David Bruce, R.A.M.C., striking examples of overlapping and even of contradiction in C.B., F.R.S., Mr. Robert William Burnet, M.D., C.M. separately issued official statistics. M. CHEYSSON, an eminent Aberd., F.R.C.P. Lond., and Mr. Peter O’Connell, M.D., French statistician, published in 1882 a report on the condi- M. Ch. R. U. I., who have received the honour of Knighttion of Government statistics in various European countries, hood ; William Henry Power, C.B., who has been promoted with a view to the creation of a general supervising and con- from a Companion of the Order of the. Bath to be a Knight Commander of his Order ; Lieutenant-Colonel Johnston trolling authority in France, in order to bring about Shearer, I. M. S., D.S.O., who has been made a Companion of harmony, proportion, order, and uniformity of arrangement the Bath, and Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Frederick Perry, in national statistics." As a result of this report a French I. M. S., honorary surgeon to the Viceroy, and principal Conseil Superieur de Statistique, modelled on that of of the Medical College, Lahore, who has been appointed was in founded 1885. M. CHEYSSON recommended the Indian Empire. Sir Lauder Brunton, a of Belgium, Companion as
President of the
Annotations.
"