Show 1 fl a J I I Ir Misleading Statistics I r l tJ SOME OME recent events have indicated d a ai i Y 3 growing necessity for the establishment nt ntH H of a real government publicity bureau l c conducted along business lines and absolute- absolute t r ly iy devoid of political leanings lJ I Many crimes of commission and omis- omis i ft I were charged to George Creels Creel's war war- var- var F 1 ti tUne ne publicity bureau but it- it it-is it is doubtful if i f. f any a y of Creels Creel's w worst enemies even would in intimate that he would be guilty of perpetrating perpetrating two of the blunders included among I I i t the e events hinted at I J I 4 j. j One of these was the statement given ven venI I j J. J out olt by a woman of the department f. f o of of justice and widely quoted that the annual expenditure for tobacco in the United States States- 1 4 1 w was ws s S t This figure was wasfi fi by bv than the highest 1 ti estimate ever made by the Woman's Womans Christia Chrisy Chrisi Chris- Chris y tina tia i a Te Temperance perance union I fj f f The The- woman who gave out the figures I h vv-as vv as is making a case in favor of df a reduction II In the purchase of luxuries and a return t to toj to more simple living and evidently threw I r iri iri half a a dollars for measure I probably it matters little whether the corre correct cor cor- re yet t figures are a billion above or a billion b below low those given out by the woman goe government go gov e ment but the idea is that they should not have have been been given out at all unless UnI un- un r I less they were official 1 1 An Another ther incident in w which ich a few billions billions billions bil bil- bil- bil lions of of dollars were lightly juggled also is 1 c charged arged to a department of justice official Vi O gave out a statement that an increase I J nf in railway rates by would I jl i increase in rease the the of living Jiving by approximately r ii m rn- rn tely The publication of the statement resulted iri in ir quite a num number er of people becoming conI conf con- con I f disturbed disturb d. d An investigation disI disclosed disclosed dis dis- dis- dis I t closed the fact that the official who mad the figures public and who had the reputation reputation tion of being an economic expert had rn made de no special studies studies' of the matter but butin instead in tead had accepted as correct figures I brought to his his' attention and had given themI them themI I I M I hi h. his IS approval I Whether r the figures were right or orI w whether whether ether they were wrong has no bearing I on orr the case The prevailing haphazard plan of of- making public statistics of importance is F liable lible ble to fo result in much injury to to various arious 1 interests and to the government itself |