E 11
One of the greatest failures to report was that of the chief banks, who nearly all failed to make declarations of the large amount of silver bullion received during the last 6 months of the year. Thus the low figures for imports of silver bullion published month by month gave no indication of the fact that silver was piling up in the Colony, and were completely misleading to those merchants outside banking circles who rely on the accuracy of official returns.
I regret to have to report that though in theory merchants are in favour of the collection of trade statistics, they fail when it comes to assisting in the compilation by making correct and prompt declarations themselves. The Statistical Office has received many very discourteous letters and telephone messages when the failure to make correct declarations has been pointed out.
Seeing that the collection of trade statistics was reinstituted, in spite of great financial stringency, at the direct request of the merchants themselves through their representatives, it is extremely disheartening to the staff to find that their hope of assistance and forbearance during the difficult initial stage has been to a great extent in vain.
Unless great improvement takes place during the next year, only two courses will remain open, the resuscitation of the old and objectionable permit system, or the complete abandonment of all attempts to collect reliable trade statistics.
The prompt publication of the monthly returns proved very difficult at first chiefly owing to printing difficulties. With the co-operation of the Government Printers, however, the initial difficulties have been removed and recently the returns have appeared regularly, well before the expiration of the following month. Each return includes only declarations received up to the end of the month, hence it should include all goods dealt with before the 24th, and a good many of those dealt with after that date.
The staff was mostly recruited outside the service, and consists chiefly of youths who have just left school. On the whole they have learnt the work quickly, and the most unsatisfactory have already been weeded out. As experience is gained many errors which are now overlooked will be detected at once, and the speed at which the work is carried on will be accelerated, but it is unlikely for many reasons that the time required to prepare the returns for publication each month can be reduced appreciably.
VIII. STAFF
A number of clerks who had had previous experience in statistical work were transferred to the new Statistical Office to