AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 694, 20 December 1909, Page 10

AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

t \)[ THE NEW PLAN. 1 , AVith refcrcnco to tho now method of collecting agricultural. statistics, tho Hon- T. Mackenzie(Minister for Agriculture). informed a reporter, on .Friday tlmt for the purposes of tne work the two islands had been divided into four 'districts. Tho work iu theeo districts had?been placed under four of-the most reliable omccTS in the Department. -It was not a fact that forms 'wore left at farmers' resi- ' dencca .to -be filled up. The calculations" as to for the' year were based to a great extent % on the figures for the pfevion9 twelve months. Before handing in their returns, the officials,,;' ; checked'their \hgures bv ascertaining the' views, of p. number of intelligent, farmers in their-district and representative merchants, and others: likoly-to be able, to assist them in arriving at, as accurato a conclusion as possible. . . They hoped during the month of December to;■.obtain'" an: estimato of the areas "under wheat,':oats,'.-barley, rape, and potatoes, with' a general opinion as to the condi-' .tiou of the crops. It was hoped that in January a statement as to the' probable, average yields would be Then,'later in Pebruaiy,: ifurther estimates correcting, or; confirming the previous returns were. expected to be teady. As further checks, monthly returns wcmla be obtained from' the oveners of . all : threshing, milb. It 1 might .be mentioned that a good many-returns had already come to hand, .and an intermediate report with ieferf ence to the crops and-their condition 1 might be expected at an ea-rly date. ...It was.•anticipated that the-cost of obtaining tho;statistics would be reduoed.by .£4OOO under the new-system, which, it was;felt, would:be .thoroughly reliable. That the returns secured under <the old-system were,unreliable had been amply; '