the page, should be copied the member's report for that particular week. The sheet is only for office use and is never published. Form 10 gives a general idea of the form which might be used:

Late Reports

As the members should be instructed to mail their reports to reach the association office on a specified day, all reports should be checked when the last mail for that day comes in. Those members who have not reported should be wired to, and if possible a report from them should be obtained by wire. A printed form, similar to Form 11, should be sent by mail to remind them that their report has not been received.

MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION

ST., NEW YORK...... 192....

We regret your Report for the four weeks ending..........

did not reach us in time to be included in our association report for that period.

We hope your report is on the way. If not, that you will send it as it will be used in revision.

We would appreciate your mailing us these reports regularly and promptly so as to reach New York City not later than the Wednesday following each period.

Very sincerely yours,

.Secretary.

Form 11. Reminder of Non-Receipt of Report. (Size 51⁄2 x 3.)

If a report from a member is too late to get into the regular association report for a given week, the member should nevertheless be urged to send in his back report, or reports, in order that they may be incorporated in the revised reports for the earlier week to which they belong. In this way a historical

record is built up which is valuable as a basis for showing trends. But every member should be constantly urged to get his reports in regularly and early.

Analyzing Reports

When the members' reports for a certain period have been received, they should be analyzed carefully by the statistician to see if each report looks consistent. Frequently, through a stenographic or clerical error on the part of an employee of the member, one cipher too many may be added to some particular item on the report, or an even more serious mistake may be made. At this point one of the principal values of a statistician appears-knowing the industry closely he can immediately recognize the inconsistency of the report and wire the member for verification or correction.

When it is determined that all the members' reports as received are correct, the totals may be drawn, percentages computed, and the association report issued to the members.

Uniform Comparison

If a report is given for one week as compared to previous weeks, such comparisons should always be made from the same companies. For instance, you cannot draw a proper comparison between 20 companies reporting the first week of a month and 20 companies reporting the last week in the month if they are not the same companies.

Suppose, for example, that one of the companies included in the first week's report makes 25 per cent of the product of the industry, and that in the last week's report there is substituted for this company a smaller one making only 2 per cent of the product of the industry. Although the total, 20 companies, is the same in each report, it is obvious that the first report represents 23 per cent more production than the other. Since this fact is not known, a correct comparison is impos

sible. If, therefore, in the first week there are 3 companies which are not included in the last week's report, they should be eliminated from the first week's report in order to reduce the comparison and have only the same companies compared.

In other words, all comparisons should be made only of the same plants, mills, or merchants. Furthermore, no absurd comparisons should be made such as comparing the production of a mill with the sales of a merchant. The two things are not comparable and the absurdity of attempting to compare them will immediately be recognized by a statistician, or by the experienced business man. Sometimes you will find people endeavoring to make such comparisons in order to prove inferences, though the attempt is as absurd as to compare the product of an apple tree and a cow. Both the apple tree and the cow may be part of the landscape but with this fact their relation stops.

Essential Information

Care should be taken that the reports do not contain any information which is not essential; they should be kept simple and vital. Some reports contain weather conditions, approximate capacity production figures, and similar indefinite or irrelevant matters which serve only to congest the report and confuse the recipient.

Accuracy and Promptness

It would seem almost unnecessary to urge that the two prime requisites in connection with the reports are, as mentioned in the previous chapter, accuracy and promptness.

If a member receives several inaccurate reports he will in a short time begin to doubt the value of the service; and no matter how many accurate reports he may thereafter receive, the doubt will still remain in his mind. Extreme care should be taken, therefore, to see that every report which goes out

is not only neat in appearance but also absolutely accurate. Furthermore, reports should always be issued promptly. If, for example, there are 15 members who participate in a report which is supposed to be mailed on Tuesday, and if only 5 of those members' statements are in on Tuesday, the report should go out just the same. Of course the rule of reason must apply where, for instance, there has been a general delay because of some condition which affects all mails; but as a rule reports should go out regularly, so that every member may confidently expect a report on the morning it is due. It is a great thing to have the members anticipate a definite report on a definite day once a week or once a month; nothing discourages and disgusts a man so much as slipshod reports which come to him at irregular intervals.

Developing the Report

After the initial report has been started and developed it may be improved upon, first by arranging the data in specific groups, and then, after sufficient facts have been received covering several months, by setting forth the information graphically. Forms 12, 13, and 14 show various ways of utilizing both numerical and graphic presentation.

Individual Records

Every member is anxious to know exactly how his business compares with that of his competitors, either collectively or in a group; it is desirable, therefore, that the secretary's office should keep a large individual report sheet, the same as the work sheet, for each member. As a matter of precaution, in case someone should accidently see this report, the name of the member should be indicated by a cipher code. When the report of the member is received for any particular week it may be copied on this sheet for that week and then under it may be placed the total reports of the competitors in that