AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

Southland Times, Issue 730, 30 September 1867, Page 3

AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

The following article from the " Lyttelton Times" of 26th ult. bears upon a subject which is a most important one in an agricultural district like Southland — viz., the benefits and advantages accruing to the public generally — but more especially to the farmer — from the institution of a reliable system of agricultural statistics. This Province must very soon ; export grain to a large amount or stop growing it, and retrograde. It therefore behoves the producers timeously to consider the, to them, all important question, where can it best be sold ? and to take such combined action in the matter as may secure for themselves the most advantageous terms : — " Judged merely by the extraordinary number 'of blue-books annually produced, and the long array of Eegistrars of various descriptions, Britain might be pronounced as pre-eminently the land of statistics. And so it is, as compared with other European countries. Yet, turning over our files of English papers brought by the Suez mail, we are surprised to find that statistical information on a very important subject is complained of as being defective. The surprise is j increased when the alleged defect is one which the colonists of New Zealand are endeavoring to supply. It seems that with all its elaborate machinery^ for the collection of statistics, Great Britain has yet no full and reliable agricultural returns from which to calculate the i imports required and the prices likely to be obtained during any given season. This is precisely our case, the only difference being that we wish to know, at a certain time, the probable quantity of grain and other agricultural produce which it will be safe or advisable to send out of the colony. The only objection which the farmers are likely to raise to the collection of these statistcts is one which, if they will only consider it properly, vanishes at once. \ They are unable in many instances to dis- \ tinguish between general and local information, and appear to have a feeling that v some one wishes to pry into their private rifairs, with a view of turning the knowledge against them in Borne "way or other,

forget that the returns would pass through one office only in their detailed form, while they would come before the public in the shape of general results. These results can do no harm to individuals, and are certain to do much good to the community generally. If farmers will take the trouble to think the matter over, they cannot fail to see that the agricultural statistics, so much wanted, are calculated to be of more service to themselves than to any other class. In this instance, statistics are valuable, not so much as a measure of progress as a means of protection to the farmer- They will -enable him to go about his work with intelligence, and to count with some degree of certainty on the price he may expect to realise for his produce. Knowing the amount of grain in the country at a given time, and aware of the quantity required for home consumption, he is in a position to .judge when it will be prudent to sell and at what price. We are convinced that the farmers generally will give their hearty support to any scheme which promises to furnish them with full and reliable statistics at the proper time, and that they will second the efforts of the Government in establishing a cheap and effective machinery throughout thecolony. In a recent article we took occasion to Dotice the statistics collected under the direction of the Provincial Government, and to characterise them as defective. The defects have been made more apparent and more glaring by the publication of the very full and complete returns collected by the Secretary of the Northern Agricultural and Pastoral Association. These returns might well serve as models, and we hope the Grovernment will see fit to supplement the information already supplied to the public by a return shewthe quantity of grain shipped from the province up to a certain date. Such a return, without throwing upon the Gfoernment officials any large amount of work, might indicate the districts whence the grain shipped was supplied, the destination of the consignments, and the method of stowage in the case of shipments to England."