Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 2.djvu/533

 ECCEXTRIC OFFICIAL STATISTICS 519

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 statistical authority, Colonel Wright, we must accept both statements as undoubtedly correct, and as equally illustrating the value of the contributions of the United States government to social science.

Regarding the foregoing tables of his article, Mr. Steuart remarks :

"The value of the products of industry shown for 1850 and 1860 do not include some elements that enter into the values for subsequent years. This fact, combined with the improvement in statistical methods and the greater care bestowed on the enumeration at subsequent censuses, will not permit of the use of percentages based on these figures or on the total wealth as indi- cating the exact increase." After explaining the greater accuracy of the figures regarding debt and expenses, Mr. Steuart farther remarks : " While, for the reasons given, the totals for wealth and values of products of industry can only be used in a general way for comparison, the totals for 1860 may be accepted as showing the conditions prevailing during the decade immediately preceding the Civil War and those for 1890 as indicating the conditions that prevailed during a decade after the direct effects of the war had disappeared. The two totals indicate normal conditions. Comparing the two years it appears that the total wealth per capita increased from $5 ! 3-93 to $1,036.01 or 101.59 per cent., and the per capita value of the products of industry increased from $60.39 to $193.90 or 221.23 P er cent."

Though in a footnote to his table Mr. Steuart admits that for 1860 the values of farm products are not included, he com- pares the statistics which he gives for 1 860 and 1890 as indicating normal conditions in two periods, and as showing an increase in production per capita from $60.39 to $193.90.

Dividing the correct figures of the value of the products of 1890, as given by Mr. Holmes, by tin population of that year, we find the per capita value of the products of productive industry for 1890 to have been Sii6.6i instead of $193.90.

If there be any considerable element of truth in the census showing of a large increase in the number of those engaged in manufacturing and mechanical industiv, relative to population, and of an enormous increase in both the capital invested and the