CONCERNING STATISTICS.

Timaru Herald, Volume CIII, Issue 15743, 30 August 1915, Page 5

CONCERNING STATISTICS.

To the Ei'.itor of the '"Timaru Herald. Sir.—Some great wrestling with figures is si 111 going on on the floor ot the l!cu-e in Wellington. and while the ?■>i. I' V are in the humour it might be "orth tin-- uhile of the •'He rald" to j i brow a bone of contention into the ring for fear that the combatants may j lorget tie- blessed word ''wheat" in j which Timaru is so much interested, j Hence with your permission the folio v.-- j

■ng: —The Official Year Bank states t!it in the year 190!') The jrrnin mil's of New Zealand produced £3/11 7 tons ol ilour and operated on 1 ,< KM .7SO bushels m wheat. In the year the mills turned out !'■">.5"JS tons, using -! .3o'_'.7>4-l bushels. In the year 1010 the flour turned out was 1 D 0.030 tons and tho tthrnt 1 was •">. 1 G0.7("i0 bushels. The tma! et wi'-at milled was 13..")1\3.<H-Ki Mi t"if three years for which {.talUties are i-. e'.i! did. The population in New /'"alar.d In the years mentioned, inclusive o! -17.731 Maoris, was Slli.dfi'l, J'.'ii'. I!': 1 .. and ] .''i.">o..no, which is multiplied by isve bushels for capita- would give 13.053.001> bushels as the requirement. Notwithstanding these elfielal iigores shewing that v. e did not u-e quite ii'. •• bushels pi r head, people ai'e |i.irroi-l'';e repeating lhat we require six bu»!>e's per head for foo l. In tn<> old Australian days of an adult population ar.d rations of l>eef, tea. damper, six bushels per head was a fair estimate. I iliink J] bushels about right. 1 am. ete.. •JOSEPH HEME S GHOST. Timaru, August L'Sth.