EMPIRE STATISTICS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 37, 7 November 1919, Page 6

EMPIRE STATISTICS

OUR DELEGATE TO THE CONFERENCE.

The Government Statistician (Mr. Malcolm Flayer) is leaving New Zealand by the Sydney boat sailing from Wellington about November 20, to represent the Dominion at an Imperial Conference of Statisticians, which is to be held in London about January 20 next. The conference is the outcome of a recommendation made by the. Dominions Royal Commission which visited New • Zealand prior to the war. This commission although appointed before the war did not complete, its work and present its final report until the beginning of 191 S. Its recommendation that a conference of the statisticians of. the different parts of the Empire be held in London-as soon as possible after the war as a means towards uniformity in Empire statistics 1 and towards the* formation of an Imperial Statistical Office which would compile and publish annual or olh°r periodical diiresfs and summaries of Ihe Umpire I'i'itistii": was approved by the Imperial War Cabinet, and is now being given : elT"t to. '■

Advantage is being taken of the opportunity, thus afforded for Mr. Frnser to visit the principal statistical offices of the United Kingdom, Fv-'uce, Canada, nud the United States, with a view to obtaining information as to lh« methods of collection and tabulation in use in these offices; in particular Mr. Frnser has been instructed to look into the ;nlViixtn.i'os derived from the use of sorting and tabulating marlines a"d report- a? to whether they would be suitable and economical for census or other statistical work in Xew Zealand. At the ciieeia] reouest of the Government of t.he l'nion of South Africa, whosn statistical office was only established in 1917, Mr. Fraser is going Homo via tho Cape, and will meet the statistical authorities of the Union, who-are desirous of discussing various mliters with him, and obtaining fir=l: hand information regarding New Zealand's experience in slawork. _ During Mr. Fraser's absence Mr. - r . M. Butcher. Chief Compiler in th.e Census and Statistics Office, will be Acting Government Statistician.