ECCENTRIC OFFICIAL STATISTICS. IV.
Though in his contribution to the March number of the Journal OF Sociology Mr. William M. Steuart sedulously avoids direct reference to the writer and his contributions to this Journal, his misquotations, as well as his quotations, betray his evident purpose to discredit the writer and his criticisms of official statistics and Colonel Wright's use of the same. Notwithstanding this evident purpose, this eminent cen- sus official, so far as his statements are true, strongly confirms these criticisms, while by his misstatements he incidentally illustrates the unreliability of the officials responsible for the statistics criticised.
In his first contribution to this Journal (January, 1897) the writer criticised an article by Mr. Steuart published in the January, 1896, Bulletin of the Department of Labor, presenting the same as a fair specimen of the contributions of the United States government to social science. In this article, intended for the information of a class having little knowledge of statistics, Mr. Steuart not only compares incomparable estimates of value, but states: "The total value of the products of productive industry, which include manufactures and farm, fishery, and mineral products, for the same year (1890) amounted to $12,148,380,626." This statement the writer contrasted with statis- tics presented by an able and seemingly consciehtious census official, Mr. George K. Holmes, published in the November, 1895, Labor Bul- letin, in which, the value cf material consumed being deducted, the total value of the products of productive industry was given as $7,302,854,- 901. Regarding these widely differing statements the writer remarked : "The value of the products of industry, as stated by Mr. Steuart, is thus 66 per cent, greater than the value as stated by Mr. Holmes. As both statements are 'official' and have the indorsement of the highest sta- tistical authority. Colonel Wright, we must accept both statements as undoubtedly correct, and as equally illustrating the value of the con- I tributions of the United States government to social science." ! Mr. Steuart seeks to evade the force of this criticism by presenting a fallacious and totally different statement, attributed by implica- tion to the writer. Mr. Steuart says (p. 630): "The census office has published the total annual value of the products of establishments engaged in the manufacturing and mechanical industries as $9,372,-
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