delegates could correspond and compare notes as to the action taken in their respective countries and as to possible ways of implementing these various resolutions. COMMISSION VI: AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS Commission VI concerned itself with consideration of technical proposals in the field of agricultural statistics and census enumerations. The Board of Directors of the Commission consisted of the President and Vice President, designated by the Conference Assembly in the preparatory session on July 23, the secretariat appointed by the Secretary General, and the Rapporteur elected by the Commission, as follows: President: José Joaquin Peralta, Secretary of Agriculture and Chief of Delegation, Costa Rica Vice President: Roberto Alvarez Calderón, Director, Division of Animal Husbandry, Ministry of Agriculture, and Chief of Delegation, Peru Secretary: Felix Ramírez Bauder Sub-Secretary: Vicente González Rapporteur: Rafael Isava Núñez, Chief of Delegation, Paraguay The delegates and representatives of the United States were as follows: Delegates: Edwin J. Kyle (Reporting Delegate) Howard R. Tolley Advisers: John C. A. Cady James H. Kempton Nathan L. Whetten Paul L. Koenig (Adviser-Secretary) By the terms of reference in the Conference agenda, it was the function of the Commission to analyze proposals and prepare resolutions or recommendations, relating to: 1. Improvement of the methods employed in compiling statistics in the American Republics, especially those concerned with agricultural production, commerce, climatology, etc. 1 2. Measures to insure the regular preparation and publication of statistics in the American Republics. 3. Agricultural and livestock censuses. The first meeting of Commission VI was called for 11 a. m. on Thursday, July 26, the day following the plenary sessions of the Conference. Thereafter, the Commission met only on three other occasions in full session on July 28 and 31, and on August 1 when its completed actions were summarized in the statement of its rapporteur. Most of the work time in the interim was devoted to subcommission consideration of proposals submitted by the various countries, and the preparation of final resolutions for the Commission's approval and subsequent reference to the Commission on Resolutions. At the opening meeting on July 26, President Peralta, cognizant of the difficulty of assuring a quorum for frequent or protracted meetings of the whole Commission, recommended that 3 subcommissions be named (paralleling the subject fields in the agenda) and that they proceed immediately with the work on proposed resolutions in their respective fields. The Guatemalan delegate (Sr. Goyzueta) felt that a general discussion of the statistical problems and resolutions within the whole group would be of the greatest interest and import to all the delegates, and suggested that the discussions not be subdivided at the outset. No action was taken on the matter at this point. At the President's request, the Secretary read a statement outlining how resolutions and other documents would be referred to the Commission and classified for proper consideration, separating the proposed resolutions from the special studies or technical papers submitted. It was pointed out that these technical studies or papers were primarily for individual examination and were not to have further discussion or action in the Commission meetings. The Secretary also read the 11 resolutions so far presented. The Cuban delegate (Sr. Vivó) announced that he would present 3 resolutions and the United States member (Mr. Koenig) stated his delegation would have 4 resolutions which were then in process of referral through the Conference offices. The President advised that Sunday noon, July 29, was the deadline for presenting resolutions and urged all countries to get theirs in as soon as possible before that time. The United States member then suggested that all the resolutions be accorded a preliminary discussion and consideration by the entire Commission first, after which they could be referred to the proper subcommission to put in final form, with the benefit of the general consensus of viewpoints expressed. After further discussion the President suggested the naming of two subcommissions, to start their work immediately on the resolutions. He also suggested that the two groups could schedule their meetings simultaneously in the Commission room to facilitate whatever joint action and consideration might be deemed advisable to satisfy objections to a division of the work. The two groups were to analyze and amalgamate or propose some other disposal of the various recommendations and report their respective proposals and recommendations to the full Commission at the earliest possible date, for final deliberation and decision. Argentina, Guatemala, and the United States asked to be reprèsented on both subcommissions. The President named 5 countries to each group, and the respective countries named the delegates to participate. (Subsequently each subcommission selected one of its number as chairman.) It was agreed that the two subcommissions should arrange for joint or separate meetings at their discretion and that other delegates were privileged to attend and participate in discussions as desired. The specific work assignments and the composition of the subcommissions were as follows: SUBCOMMISSION 1: IMPROVING AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS (IMPROVING THE SYSTEMS OF PREPARING AND ADOPTION OF METHODS FOR FORMULATING) Argentina: Juan B. Pelayo, Chairman, Director of Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture Cuba: Hugo Vivó, Consulting Statistician, National Council of Statistics, Ministry of Finance Guatemala: Eduardo Goyzueta V., Agricultural Technician, Ministry of Agriculture Mexico: Gonzalo González H., Chief of Rural Economy, Ministry of Agriculture and Development United States: Paul L. Koenig, Head, Division of Agricultural Statistics, Bureau of Agricultural Economics, Department of Agriculture SUBCOMMISSION 2: AGRICULTURAL AND LIVESTOCK CENSUSES Argentina: Pedro N. Almonacid, Office of Economic Investigations, Ministry of Finance Guatemala: Eduardo Goyzueta V., Agricultural Technician, Ministry of Agriculture Haiti: Gérard Boucard, Assistant Director, Agricultural Extension Service United States: Howard R. Tolley, Chief, Bureau of Agricultural Economics, Department of Agriculture Venezuela: Ricardo de Shelly Hernández, Chairman, Head, Statistical Department, Ministry of Development The two subcommissions met at 4 p. m. on July 27 for their first official sessions, several members of each meanwhile assembling and analyzing the components of all resolutions available, in order to segregate those for each group and classify the recommendations into major subjects, thus expediting the work of the subcommissions. A total of 18 proposed resolutions were received in regular form, including an unnumbered recommendation by Mexico. The following outlines their designation and source, the general subject treated, and the subcommission (or Commission) to which referred: 14 15 (177) United States Services. Standards. (176) United States. Adequate Statistical Reporting SC 1 Rural Population and Living SC 1. Products (Later to Comm. III). Uniform Weights and Measures. SC 1 1 Designation given the proposed resolutions in the order of reference to the Commission. 2 SC Subcommission of Commission VI; Comm. Commission. = Also referred to the Commission through regular Conference channels were two studies or papers, one on "The Statistics of Paraguay" and the other on "The Statistics of Agricultural Labor" by the International Labor Office. Several other countries also made available copies of reports on their statistical services and reports through their delegation offices. A scanning of the proposals reflects the striking unanimity of interest among the various countries in the points they considered worthy of emphasis as objectives, and in the means proposed for securing desirable expansion and development of the agricultural statistical work of the American nations. There were no proposals that could be said to have controversial aspects and the discussions seemed completely devoid of any undercurrent pressures for one position as against another. As soon as a composite view showed some semblance of forming in discussions, the proponents or sponsors of resolutions in any manner contrary to the general trend deferred readily and gracefully to the common judgment. The spirit demonstrated in the approach to the several subjects was primarily that of recognizing the universal need for adequate statistical developments and seeking to establish high but realizable objectives. The sights were chiefly concentrated upon measures to improve (a) the organization of agricultural statistical services; (b) the quality of personnel engaged in the work; (c) the scope and suitability of statistical techniques and operating methods employed; and (d) the uniformity, adequacy, and reliability of results. On occasion, the enthusiasm for betterment and higher standards embodied in contemplated resolutions finally had to be tempered or qualified to a degree that would more likely draw encouraging response from the smaller countries, and others not so well advanced or situated with respect to their organization or means for undertaking the anticipated statistical developments. Of the 18 resolutions proposed, 5 relating to census and survey subjects were referred to Subcommission 2 for attention. The other 13 resolutions, chiefly concerned with the organization, personnel, methodologies and related aspects of current agricultural statistical operations and reporting services, were turned over to Subcommission 1. Subsequently, no. 17-"Survey and Inventory of Forest Products" (USA), and the third point recommended in no. 13 (Bolivia), urging "increased instruction in agricultural bookkeeping", were brought to the attention of the Commission at its second meeting (July 28) with the recommendation that they be sent along to Commission III, to whose field of interests they appeared more appropriate. The suggestion was approved, and the Secretary instructed to transmit the matters. |