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Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 236, 9 November 1914, Page 6

The Government Statistician lias adopted The Sun's suggestion for the publication of a monthly abstract of statistics, and the first number is to hand. It is a useful and an informative pamphlet, and is bound to be referred to very freely by those whose business it is to keep themselves posted in the latest figures relating to the growth and progress "of tlies Dominion. It is rather amusing to note, however, the readiness of a contemporary to extract from the pamphlet in question a set of figures purporting to show a deterioration in the management of the New Zealand railways under the present Government. The'' Monthly Abstract'' gives the percentage of expenditiu-e to' revenue for the past 10 years. Our contemporary, following the dearest traditions of a party, newspaper, takes out the figures for the last three years only, to show that the percentage of. expenditure to revenue has increased from 67.07 per cent, to 72.0 per cent. It was very careful not to. go back two years earlier, to 1909, when the expenditure absorbed 72.19 per cent, of the revenue. Our contemporary's methods give point to the anecdote told of John Burns, when confronted, with some statistics and the assertion that figures couldn -*t lie. "Maybe," replied Mr Burns, "but I've noticed that liars are often good at figures." It is manifestly unfair to the present manager of the railways to make a comparison over so short a period, and to ignore the special circumstances that have occurred during the past 12 months to restrict the earning power of the railways. For the same reason, it would be unfair to emphasise the increase in the percentage of expenditure to revenue in 1908 and 1909 without mentioning that those were years of depression, and that the business of the Railway Department could not avoid being affected. It is unfortunate that the anxiety of "some people to interpret every possible circumstance in favour of their political friends and to the disadvantage of their opponents, should be carried to such extraordinary lengths.