(1) The Statistical Abstract; (2) the 24th session of the International Institute of Statistics

Abstract

Some remarks may perhaps be expected in explanation of the two-fold title of my inaugural address.

A consideration of the Statistical Abstract, which is a compendium not only of statistics published by the Department responsible for the statistical service of this country but of other Government Offices as well, should I think encourage such expressions of opinion not only on the Abstract itself but perhaps on Government statistical publications in general. My method has been to select certain of the more important figures which appear regularly in the Abstract, particularly to illustrate the principles and scope of the volume, but incidentally to indicate some of the great changes which have taken place in the economic and the social state of the country between the years 1926 and 1936, which happened to have been Census of Population years. As to the second part of this address, my object is simply to place on record a short account of the proceedings of the Twenty-fourth Session of the International Institute of Statistics which was held last month at Prague when history was in the making.