OFFICIAL VISITOR

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2126, 18 April 1914, Page 7

OFFICIAL VISITOR

STATE STATISTICIAN. ' A passenger by the Ulimaroa for Sydney yesterday was Mr. A, M. Laughton, Victorian State Statistician, who has been spending some weeks in Now Zealand. /He came over mainly to inquire into the working of State accident inBurance and of tho Workers' GompenBation Act in this country. A Workers' Compensation Act was passed in Victoria in February last, and the Government intends to take up accident insurance business in connection with the working-of the new. Act. Hithofto the compensation of. injured workers has Deen'administordd in Victoria under an Employers' Liability Act, and. the in-. BUrance of workers' has been carried out only,b;y private firms. A Workers' Compeneation Bill has been before the Victorian Parliament on at least half a dozen occasions within the last few years, but its passage was only secured at tho beginning of this year. The Act as passed-.provides for tho establishment of a State' Accident Insurance OfSco.

isponence has • shown in Australia (Mr.. Laughton informed a DonsioN reporter , in tho course of a brief interview) that tho direct'collection of statistics by a special Department is altogether preferable to a 'system under which the.statistics are in part compiled by various Departments and sent in to the statistician for publication. Both in tho Commonwealth and State Statistical Offices every effort is made to arrange for the direct collection of statistical information. Ono matter in which New. Zealand lags behind Australia is tho collection of statistics of. production. In_ Victoria information relating to the primary industries and manufactures is obtained by employing tho police as collectors. This system has been in vogue jiow a for a considerable time, and with some minor imprqvnmerite from time to time it has given entire satisfaction. Mr. Laughton said that ho dkl not know of any other system undor which the information, could Iβ collected as conveniently arid inexpensively, and at the same time efficiently.. As regards manufactures, a. system was tried.for a timo under' which statistics "were collected through the municipilities. but this did not work well. Spe'nial collectors also proved unsatisfactory. Attempts had on occasions been mn'le to do away with the system of collection hv the police. Mr. Lauphton remarked, but he had al-. ways opposed' , any'such proposal. H> considers that even if it necessitated tlio employment of extra police it would still be Lest to stick to tho present system. ■ . .

Tho statistics of nroduction nre found to of considerable prartionl utility, and are largely innde' use of D.y public Men and newspapers, and/ by people who'aro';.interested, in various social reforms. Thov provide valuable and definite'information vrhen eudi matters as applications for an alteration of tlie Cnstoms tariff or. for • changed industrial conditions come up for consideration.