Knowledge that Transforms

The virtual removal of the head of the Census Bureau and the substitution of a successor, coincident with the advent of a new national administration, has necessarily brought forward some crucial questions respecting the principal statistical office of the nation. Many of these relate to semi-political issues. This is not the place to discuss them. But behind these lies the question of the future of the census, and of how that future will be affected by the past management of the organization. Into such a discussion there necessarily and unavoidably enters a political element. That, however, is not its chief feature. When all has been said, the problem whether the census has or has not been efficient during the thirteenth decennial enumeration, and if not, whether and how it will ever be possible to get a good administration fit, remains the central point.

The prices of the group of articles called "farm products" in the index numbers of wholesale prices prepared by the Bureau of Labor are largely taken from the Chicago markets. From these prices an index number was prepared of the prices of farm products in Chicago, monthly, for the period from I899 to 1908. The list of products is as follows: Barley choice to fancy Cattle, steers, choice to fancy Cattle, steers, good to choice Corn, cash Flaxseed, No. I Hay, timothy, No. I Hides, green salted packers Hogs, heavy Hogs, light Oats, cash Rye, No. 2 Sheep, wethers, good to fancy, native Sheep, wethers, plain to choice, western Wheat, contract grades

The primary object of scientific methods of management is to increase the productive capacity of a man or of a machine so as eventually to reduce the cost of the product to the consumer, and at the same time to increase the remuneration of the worker. This must be accomplished not by mere speeding up. It must be done by so arranging the work of the man as to eliminate unnecessary operations and waste of time, and by teaching him to perform each necessary operation in the best manner possible. It must be done by standardizing the running of the machine so as to fit each machine, as regards speed, accuracy, and constancy of operation, for the particular work it has to do. The primary defect in the common types of management, however comprehensive they may be as regards organization, lies in the lack of application of scientific methods-the lack of methods which start at the bottom and thoroughly study each element in the process and then finally adopt a comprehensive plan of management which shall consider all the details and all the processes in the plan so as to produce one effective working combination, with the functions of each individual definitely designated. This scientific method, the method of starting at the bottom, analyzing operations and standardizing all implements and machines, is difficult, it is slow, at the beginning it is costly. The problem to consider, then, is whether it will produce permanent