THE HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT OF

STATISTICS IN BELGIUM
By Dr. Armand Julin
Director-General of the Belgian Labor Bureau,

Member

of the International

Statistical Institute

Chapter

I.

Historical Survey

A vigorous interest in statistical researches has

been both

created and facilitated in Belgium by her restricted territory, very dense population, prosperous agriculture,

and the

manufacturing interests. Nor

need it surprise us that the successive governments of Belgium have given statistics a prominent place in their affairs.
Baron de Reiffenberg, who published a bibliography of the
ancient statistics of Belgium,* has given a long list of docuvariety

and

vitality of her

ments relating to the population, agriculture, industry,

commerce, transportation facilities, finance, army, etc. It
was, however, chiefly the Austrian government which increased the number of such investigations and reports.
The royal archives are filled to overflowing with documents
from that period of our history and their very over-abundance forms even for the historian a most diflScult task.f
With the French domination (1794-1814), the interest for
not diminish. Lucien Bonaparte, Minister of
the Interior from 1799-1800, organized in France the first
Bureau of Statistics, while his successor, Chaptal, undertook
to compile the statistics of the departments. As far as
Belgium is concerned, there were published in Paris seven
statistical memoirs prepared under the direction of the
statistics did

prefects.
*
t.

An

eighth issue was not finished and a ninth one

Nouveaux mimoires de I'Acadimie

royale des sciences

et belles lettres

de Bruxelles,

VII.
t

The Archives

of the

kingdom and the catalogue

of the

van Hulthem

library,

preserved in the Biblioth^que Royale at Brussells, offer valuable information on

this head.

MEMORIAL VOLUME

126

Each

memoirs dealt with a

Their plan, however, was not
uniform; but they generally treated of the principal objects,
such as territory, population, agriculture, industry and commerce. These documents contain a mass of information
which is even today full of interest and valuable for purposes
of comparison with more recent data.
Because of the
increased cost of their publication, the French government
discontinued in 1805 to print these statistical memoirs of the
prefects.
Nevertheless, these officials continued to compile
certain data and to pubUsh them in the form of almanacs.*
After the fall of the French empire, the provinces of
Belgium were in 1814 united with Holland. A royal decree
of July 3, 1826, appointed a statistical commission attached
to the central office in the Hague. The management of
this office was entrusted to Ed. Smits, who, at the same
time, served as General Secretary of the Statistical Comwas never printed.

of these

single province of Belgium.

mission.
It is about this time that the name of Queteletf first
appears in the history of Belgian statistics. To be more

was

precise, it

"Memoir

month of April, 1825, that

Academy his first statistical work

in the

presented to the

Quetelet
entitled

sur les lois des naissances et de la mortality k

During his stay in Paris in 1823, Quetelet made

acquaintance
the
of Foiuier, Poisson, Lacroix and other
French savants. It was from this time that he began to
Bruxelles."

from a scientific viewpoint.

was not very long after his initiation that the first results
of his renowned activity became known.
In 1827 Smits pubUshed in Bruxelles, under the auspices
interest himself in statistics

It

of the statistical commission of the Netherlands, the first

official

tionale.

documents entitled "Statistique naDeveloppement de trente et un tableaux publics

collection of

* Heuschling.

Apergu des principales publications statistiques faites sur la Belgique.

depuis Vincorperation de ce pays d la France, en 179i, jusgu'i ce jour.

la Commission Centrale de statistique, tome I, pp. 679 et suiv.)
t

Joseph Lottin.

de philosophie, 191S.

Quetelet,

StatisHden

et

{Bulletin de

sodologue, Louvain, Institut suplrieur

BELGIUM

127

par la Commission de statistique." This work, although of

little scientific value, contained researches into the number
of births, deaths and marriages in the Netherlands during
the period 1815-1824. The second collection of tables published by the general commission of statistics appeared in
the Hague in the year 1829 and dealt with the movement of
foreign commerce during 1825-1828, sanitation, agriculture,
meteorology, fisheries and coal mining.
Quetelet, with his definite bent towards statistics, engaged
several experts to undertake the calculation of mortality
tables for some of the more important cities of Belgium.
He himself continued his researches into the births and
deaths in Bruxelles and worked up from the original official
documents the number of foundlings, inmates of workhouses and prisons in the kingdom. It is with the aid of
these documents that he wrote his memoir: "Recherches
sur la population, les naissances, les deces, les prisons, les

dep6ts de mendicite,
laid before the

etc.,

dans

royaume des Pays-Bas,"

le

Academy February

27, 1827.

This work,

Quetelet stated, had been undertaken for the purpose of

new census of the popuon September 29, 1828, a royal decree

ordered a census to be taken on January 1, 1830, the very
year in which the revolution broke out which gave Belgium
her independence. The Dutch troops were withdrawn after
four days' fighting, continuing from September 23 to 26,
1830.
September 26 the provisional government was organized and proclaimed the independence of Belgium to take
efifect on October 4, and announced the approaching convoinducing the government to take a
lation.

And

indeed,

cation of a Congress.

The taking

of the census itself

was

in

no way impeded by

these events, but the tabulation of the data was necessarily

The new government, however, showed

retarded.
interest

in

statistics

in

more urgent government

spite of its preoccupation

affairs.

On February

great

with

24, 1831, a

few days after the Congress had enacted the constitution,

the provisional government organized a general statistical

MEMORIAL VOLUME

128

bureau in the department of the

its first director.

interior.

Smits was

made

decree of the regent of Belgium com-

missioned Smits and Quetelet to publish the results of the

Census of 1830.*

The

publication appeared in the beginning of the year

"Recherches sur la reproduction et

sur la mortalite de I'homme aux differents S,ges et sur la
population de la Belgique d'apres le recensement de 1829
(premier recueil officiel des documents statistiques)." This
work contains the first table of the population of Belgium
1832 under the

title:

and civil condition, as well as a

and rural districts. Furthermore, it contains observations on the influence of age,
occupation, economic status, sex and season upon mortality.
Although this work was published under the name of Quetelet and Smits, the former was responsible for the greater
classified according to sex

table of the mortality in urban

part of

it.

over a year later, Smits and Quetdlet published

a second work, "Statistique des tribuneaux de la Belgique
pendant les anndes 1826-1830 (2e recueil oflSciel)." Quetelittle

who

already since 1828 had

made known

on
moral staWe need not be surprised, therefore, that under his
tistics.
influence the question of criminality was, from the very
beginning, given prominent place by the Bureau of StatisThe larger part of this work was due to Quetelet.
tics.
The means placed at the disposal of the bureau were not
large and even the very existence of the bureau uncertain.
More than once the necessary amount proposed in the
budget was questioned. We also owe a great debt to Smits,
in spite of the imperfections of his works, for having safeguarded the existence of the bureau and succeeded in publishing in succession four volumes on the general statistics
of the kingdom.
They appeared in 1836, 1838, 1840 and
let,

social determinism,

was intensely interested

his views

in

1841, respectively, the material treated therein being classi* Quetelet.

de statistique,

Notice sur

tome

V.)

M. Edouard

Smits.

(Bulletin de la

Commission

centrale

BELGIUM

129

under four principal divisions the physical, industrial,

and moral state of Belgium.

fied

political

Quetelet, in his necrological notes dedicated to Smits,

having called attention to the sectional division of

the above-mentioned works, adds the following interesting
remark: "It is to be regretted that, since then, it has
after

practically been decided to adhere

and to

decentralize statistics

the different Ministries;

of the administration

it is

and

no longer to

and to assign

evident that

this

form

branches to

its

in the interest

it is

of science to centralize, at least

and to re-adopt the former

only from the viewpoint of uniformity and

as regards the publications,

methods,

if

economy."

Smits tendered his resignation in 1841.

This

is

an impor-

tant year in the history of Belgian statistics, for it marks

the entrance of Quetelet on the scene of official statistics

upon which

his strong personality left

an

indelible impres-

sion.

On

the 16th of March, 1841, there was organized in the

Ministry of the Interior a statistical central commission.

A report t to the king sets forth in the following terms
the way in which this institution came into being
In creating in the Ministry of the Interior a central bureau of

statistics,

the provi-

government intended to enable the administration to gather and classify in

systematic order the available data which are to be made the subject of research
by this important branch of governmental science.
But soon this object was lost sight of. Some departments neglected their statistics entirely, while others worked thereon so independently, that they often drew
their information from the same source, in this way duplicating and crossing each
sional

This lack of coordination was bound to lead to disorganiwork and incompleteness.

statistics most need in order that our government and science may

other in their researches.

zation, double

What

oiu"

derive the best results to which they are justly entitled after

all

these efforts

is

management, a clear object and well defined bases of investigation.

There shall be created a statistical central commission for the purpose of bringing
together in a central office all the information which has heretofore been collected
central

by the different administrations.

Each department shall continue

to publish

its

own

he dt., p. 543.
The documents analysed hereafter are printed in

statistics

but on a uniform

* Quetelet,
t

volume of the Bulletin de

10

la

Commission Centrale de

extenso in the front of the first

Statistique.

MEMORIAL VOLUME

130

plan, previously decided upon, in this

way

securing a working coordination

and a

uniformity of the publications.

On

account of

its

the royal decree of

importance we quote the exact text of

March

16, 1841:

Pursuant of a decree of the provisional government of Belgium, dated January

24, 1831, commissioning the ministry of the interior with the creation of a general

department of the kingdom;

In order to regulate and extend the statistical publications of the different ministerial departments;
statistical

On

the strength of the reports of our Minister of the Interior and the advice of

the chiefs of the other departments;

We have
Article

1.

Be

statistical central

known

it

2.

is

created in the ministry of the interior a

commission whose members

as far as possible from

Article

decreed and are decreeing:

that there

One

beginning with the

among the oScials

shall

be appointed by us and chosen

government departments.

of the different

third of the commission shall be renewed every

first

day

of January, 1843.

The

two years

retirements shall take place

in order of seniority in service and, in case of equality,

by

lot.

Retiring

members

be provided for.
Article 3. The commission shall submit a complete plan for the statistical
publications of the different branches of the administration.
Article 4. It shall have to pass upon matters submitted to it by our Minister
shall

communicate
^The manner which

of the Interior.

It shall

directly with the Minister.

Article 5.
in
it is to exercise its functions and the order
of its working procedure shall be set forth in a special manual, subject to our
approval, drawn up by the Minister of the Interior with the assistance of the chiefs
of other departments.

Article

6.

A certain sum
Our Minister

shall

be appropriated for attendance, allowances and

office expenses.

Article

7.

of the Interior is responsible for the execution of this

decree.

Bbuxelles, March

16, 1841.

Leopold.

Quetelet, who was appointed president of the Statistical

Central Commission, held this position until his death on
17, 1874, and Xavier HeuschUng, chief of the
bureau of the Ministry of the Interior, was made
secretary of the commission, in which capacity he served

February

statistical

until

December

30, 1870.

Immediately after the institution of the Statistical Central

Commission, the government endeavored to ascertain and
report regularly upon the strength and wealth of the country,
the physical condition and the moral and intellectual state

BELGIUM
of the nation.

With

131

this object in view, official publications

were undertaken or continued on the subject of the movement of the population, foreign commerce, mining, metallurgical factories and steam engines.
There need as yet to be
mentioned the rather important administrative pubUcations
of the railroads, the highways and canals, city toll, tariff on
bread and meat, conditions of the laboring classes and child
labor, work performed in prisons and workhouses, gifts for
religious

tion in

But

and charitable establishments and public

all

instruc-

grades.*

was the preparation for and taking of a complete

census to which the efforts of the Statistical Central Commission were chiefly directed. This census, which was taken
on the 15th of October, 1846, dealt with the population,
with agriculture and with industry. At the time of its
issuance it was considered a work of the highest order from
the viewpoint of statistical analysis and arrangement of the
material and even today gives valuable information on

many

it

points.

The data relating to that part of the census deaUng with

the population are subdivided into the following subjects
the number of inhabited and empty houses; the number of
:

stories

and

and occupied rooms,

classified

according to urban

rural districts; pleasure grounds adjoining dweUings;

fire, and the amount of insurance,

and merchandise included; population by house
and family; population classified by sex; indigent families
or households one or more of whose members are dependent
upon public charity; children classified by sex, who are

houses insured against

furniture

receiving instruction in primary, middle or superior public

schools or at home; finally, the population according to

residence at the time of the enumeration and classified as to
civil status, origin,

language, religion, age, occupation or

condition, t
*See, Expoai de la Situation du Royaume, 18il-B0, Introduction. In the
Bibliography prepared by Heuschling, and cited above, will be found the exact
titles of the publications here mentioned in a general way.
t

Expose de

la Situation

du Royaume, 18^-60,

titre II, p. i.

MEMORIAL VOLUME

132

census is even today considered by

work of the first order. It comprised an enumeration in each community of the agricultural population from
the age of 12 and upwards, separating the members of the

The

agricultural

scientists a

family permanently occupied in agricultural pursuits, the

farm hands and day laborers, with the number of days spent
in work during the year, the number of domestic animals,
the area under cultivation, the subdivisions of this area, the

nature and extent of the products, the production and

quantity per hectare and the total quantity, also information

on the rotation of crops, the mean weight of grain and

seed per hectolitre, the wages of the day laborers, the average

ground and the

price of the

leases per hectare

and the seeds

used per hectare.

The

industrial census

contained information for each

number of factories, manunumber

of workers by sex and age
facturers or artisans, the
(including the foremen and members of the family employed
industry of the country as to the

as

workmen); a

classification of the

workers according to

number and amount of horse power of the

number of furnaces, forges and ovens; the
looms, machines and principal utensils employed

daily wages; the

engines; the

number

of

in the industry.
It had not been considered advisable to extend the census
any further for fear that the accuracy of the declaration
might suffer and that, in asking for too many details, the
whole success of the enterprise might be jeopardized.

The

statistical tables are

arranged according to a general

technological grouping

and according to the alphabetical

order of the industries.

The data

to the

name

of

of those localities entitled

towns are published separately, while those

of other communities are treated together.

the results are classified

by

provinces,

Furthermore,

and a second part

of the census entitled "Recapitulation generale" groups all

the former data and summarizes them.

classification comprises

The

275 rubrics or divisions.

industrial

BELGIUM

The Census

133

of 1846 does not concern itself with industries

carried on in the home.

According to the authors of the census, "this restriction

was necessary in order to prevent double entries which
would otherwise have occurred frequently as many houseworkers work for more than one concern."
Nor was the population following commercial pursuits
considered in this census. The transportation industry was
also omitted in the enumeration.

From the view point of accuracy of the declarations made,

the most stringent precautions were taken to insure the
return of the bulletins, which were subjected to a most
on the part of the central administration,
and whenever the slightest doubt existed, supplementary
information was asked for.
As regards the number of workers occupied in various
industries (314,842), it must be considered firstly, that the
census was taken in October of 1846, that is to say, right
after a very severe economic crisis, and that it is therefore
safe to say that the declarations made by the employers have
in many cases been incorrect; and secondly, that the employers rarely return the exact number of workmen employed

rigid examination

in order to escape part of the hcense fee.

in the statistics have, therefore,

from the number of

of 314,842

The

The

licenses issued annually.

workmen must thus be regarded

official statistics

figures given

more than once been taken

The number

as very low.

were thus based upon this threefold

Census of 1846.

With these vast operations the organization period

Belgian statistics

is

brought to a

close.

of

MEMORIAL VOLUME

134

Chapter

II.

Organization and Reports op Statistical

Services
I.

Legislation

In Belgium there
zation

is no general
and functional purposes of

The enumerations

legislation

on the organi-

statistics.

were soon taken at

census of this kind had
been taken in conformity with an Order in Council of June
30, 1846, a law of June 2, 1856, prescribed that a general
census of the population should be taken every ten years in
all of the communes of the kingdom, the first of which was
to take place December 31, of the same year. Later, in
regular intervals.

of the population

After the

first

order to bring the Belgian census date into agreement with

that generally selected in other countries, the law of May 25,
1880, modified the period of the general enumeration. The
clause states that the enumeration of the population
should take place henceforth on dates corresponding to a
decimal date. The next census was fixed for December
first

31, 1880.

It

was to include a census

of agriculture

and

industry.

The keeping of registers of population is closely bound

up with the carrying out of general enumerations. The
Order in Council of June 30, 1846, had already made this
obligatory in each of the communes of the kingdom; the
law of June 2, 1856, renewed this requirement and ordained
that the registers of population should be corrected and
completed after each census.
A census of industry was taken in 1846, in 1866 (not pubThe first three were
lished), in 1880, in 1896 and in 1910.
taken by virtue of the law and Orders in Council prescribing the census of the population. That of 1896 was taken
under the law of June 29, 1896; articles 3 and 4 of this law
provided penalties for persons who refused to fulfil the requirements of the census and declared that the facts might
be gathered oflacially at the expense of the delinquents.

BELGIUM

The law

of

December

135

14, 1910,

made

provision for the

taking of a census of industry at regular intervals: "There

shall

be taken every ten years," states the

first

clause of

that law, "conjointly with the general census of the population, a census of industry

and

of

Compared with previous laws

industry, the law of December

commerce."

relating to the censuses of

14, 1910, presents various

distinctive features: First, the regular periodicity of the

is established, whereas previously the census had been
taken at irregular intervals of from twenty to fourteen and
sixteen years between former censuses; second, the census
is combined with the enumeration of the population and is
taken conjointly with it. This was the case in 1846, in
1866 and in 1880, but the Census of 1896 was based upon
the population registers drawn up as a result of the
general census of December 31, 1890. A summary of the
methods of the Census of 1896 gives all the details resulting
from the choice of this statistical basis; third, the census is
extended to include industry and commerce. Those of
1846, 1880 and 1896 include only industry; that of 1866 was
extended to commercial estabHshments but it was not published.
As in 1896, penalties are provided for those who
refuse to comply with the official requirements.
There were censuses of agriculture in 1846, in 1856, in
1866 and 1880, carried out simultaneously with the censuses
The law of September 11, 1895, provided
of the population.
for a general census of agriculture to be taken that year.
Clause two of the same law states: that beginning with the
year 1896 a partial census of agriculture should be taken
annually, relating particularly to crops and the number of

census

the principal animals utilized in agriculture.

These partial enumerations were carried out for some

They were finally discontinued, their utility not
years.
being proportionate to their expense. A general census was
taken on December 31, 1910.
The legislative measures which have just been enumerated had in view certain special statistical operations, such

MEMORIAL VOLUME

136

as the enumerations of the population, of industry

and

of

agriculture,

or keeping the registers

They do not

exactly constitute a government statute whose

the population.

determined by a definite statistical purpose.

must turn to the Bureau of Labor in order to see an

character

We

of

is

by a public act of
The Bureau of Labor was created by an Order
Council of November 12, 1894, and was organized by

instance of general statistics regulated

authority.
in

virtue of a second Order in Council bearing the date of April

According to the terms of article 2 of this Order,

"the Bureau of Labor has for its function to make inquiry,
wherever necessary, and at the instance of competent author12, 1895.

and agricultural labor,

wage earners in industry,
trades, commerce, agriculture and transportation; to investigate the effects of the laws and regulations regarding
them, and in general to collect all such information as may
contribute to their material, intellectual and moral wellities,

and

as to the outlook of industrial

also as to the condition of the

being."

There may also be cited among the measures taken in

Belgium by the central authority, the Orders in Council
by virtue of which the Statistical Central Commission has
been charged with pubhshing an account of the condition
of the kingdom.
The purpose of these publications is to
state authoritatively and set forth in regular order the physical, moral and intellectual condition of the nation, the
power, the strength, and the wealth of the country. Statistical accounts have appeared relating to the periods
1841-1850,

1851-1860,

compilation of the last

1861-1875,

1876

to

1900.

summary statement which has

The
just

been published was the outcome of an Order in Council of

May 29, 1902. A new summary statement for the period
1901-1910 is in preparation (Order in Council, November
20, 1913).

Aside from the cases which have just been noted, the
by the different ministerial departments do not find their basis in an act of legislative power
statistical publications

BELGIUM

137

or of executive power, in the form of an Order in Council;

they originate by virtue of an administrative decision and

are based on a tradition more or less ancient. A complete
hst of them is given at the end of this article.
II.

Subject Matter of the Principal Statistical Publications

in Belgium

A. Deniographic
investigation

is

Statistics.

^The principal demographical

the census of the population, the basic leg-

which we have pointed out above.

The census* aims to ascertain the number of inhabitants
either according to the population of customary residence

islation for

or according to the population de facto; also according to

sex, age, place of birth, nationality, language, degree of
education, civil condition, occupations or positions of the

number
The census

households and the number of

preceded by a verification of the
numbering of all the houses and places which serve as habitations, and of a list of these houses and places.
inhabitants,

houses.

of

is

Agents are appointed by the communal administrations

under the control of the provincial governor in the proportion of at least one to every one thousand inhabitants, to
distribute and gather up from the houses the blank forms
provided for the declarations of the inhabitants. The distribution of the blank forms is made from the 20th to the
25th of December. These forms are of three kinds: the
household form, the special personal form and the special
collective form.

On

the household form, the only form used previous to

1876, is written the names of every person composing the
household, having their customary residence in the enumer-

ated house, whether they are present or not at the time of

the taking of the census.

The special personal form is used for the names of persons

who do not have their customary residence in the house but
*

From

the Report an the Condition of the Kingdom, 1876-1910.

Vol. II, p. 68.

MEMORIAL VOLUME

138

find themselves there accidentally at the time of the taking

of the census.

The
the

list

special collective form, established in 1890, includes

of persons segregated in boarding schools, barracks,

charitable institutions, etc.

The

facts concerning each of

the persons inscribed in the collective form are finally copied

on individual sUps which are addressed, like the special

personal forms, to the commune in which the various persons
have declared that they have their customary residence.
These forms, then, only serve to avoid duplications and to
check the names on the household form. The household
form is- the basis of the census. Every Belgian or foreigner,
whether present or not at the time of the taking of the census in the house where he customarily resides, ought to be
inscribed on the household form sent into that house. The
total of the persons whose names appear on the household
form constitute the population de jure. Household must
not be confused with family. The instructions of 1900
precisely define these terms, stating that "the household
(menage) is a small or collective unit made up either of one
person hving alone or by a combination of two or more
persons who, whether united or not by family bonds, customarily reside in the same habitation and there have a

common

life."

The household form and eventually the special form must

be completed by the head of the household, who must give
the facts corresponding to the situation as of midnight,

December 31.
The taking of the returns at the houses
is begun January 2, by census agents.

of the inhabitants

duty of

It is the

these agents to check the accuracy of the declarations.

The

following are the steps successively taken:

filling in of

first,

the

a special return of the number of houses and

households; second, transcribing on individual cards the

mentioned for each person in the household form; third,

calculation, from the number of these cards, of the number

facts

of inhabitants,

by

classes,

and the writing

of this

number

BELGIUM

139

The counting of the individual cards

has replaced the checking system used prior to 1876 in making the abstracts from the household forms.

in the special returns.

The communal

administration transcribes the numbers

from these returns into recapitulation

them

to the Minister of the Interior.

tables,

and sends

specially created

census bureau there verifies and coordinates the tables

drawn up by the communal administrations, and proceeds
to the work of recapitulation by administrative arrondissements, by provinces and for the kingdom. The infant
population was classified in 1890 according to the language

customarily used in the household of which they formed a

part; in 1900, as in 1880, they have been considered as not

speaking any language.

The statistics of changes in the

by the

civil

condition of the popu-

Commission;
these may perhaps be considered as a supplement to the
population census, and for that reason assume a real importance.
These statistics were first published in 1857.* They
were at first included in a collection entitled "Documents
Statistiques." These documents were discontinued in 1869,
when they were replaced by the "Annuaire Statistique"
of the kingdom, the first volume of which contained documents relating to the year 1870. It was thought that the
statistics of the changes in the civil condition and of the
population would be duplicated by the data published in
the statistical annual, and so the former was discontinued.
Later, however, it was seen that the synthetic figures published in the statistical annual did not permit of the more
or less thorough study of those statistics one of the most
lation are published

Statistical Central

essential requirements for general statistics.

The statistics of the changes in the civil condition of the

population were then resumed, beginning with the year
1867; the first of the new publications covered the period
1867 to 1881; it was published in 1883; since that time the
publication has appeared regularly. It contains twelve
*

Compare BvlMin

of the Central Commission of Statistics.

Vol.

XV,

p. 423.

MEMORIAL VOLUME

140
parts:

movement

of the population; immigration

and emi-

gration; changes in the civil condition of the population;

of marriages, births, and deaths, as well as still-born
and other infants born dead; age of decedents; respective
ages of brides and grooms at time of marriage; special statistics of twins and other multiple births; civil condition of
brides and grooms; civil condition of married decedents;
causes of deaths; special statistics of deaths by violence;
special statistics of deaths from suicide.

number

The annual observation

tion

is,

of the

movement

of the popula-

like the general census of the population, decentral-

ized; it

is

utilize for

by communal administrations which

the purpose the civil registers and the registers of
established

the population.

These

lists

administration where the

are transmitted to the central

oflBce of

general statistics verifies

them, transcribes them in special registers and makes a

recapitulation according to the administrative territorial
divisions.
The central bureau of the Minister of the Interior
has only to transcribe and add the tables. This method is
abandoned in nearly all European countries. The advantages of centralization are evident; it has just been proposed
that the communal administrations limit themselves to
amplifying the tables, the elements of which would then

be abstracted and combined by the Bureau of General StaThe Statistical Centistics of the Minister of the Interior.
tral Commission, pleased with the proposition, has just
pronoimced itself in favor of this reform.
We have spoken above of the population registers, the
regular keeping of which, dating from 1846, was sanctioned
by the law of June 2, 1856. The population register is a list
of all the inhabitants having their customary residence in a
coromune, with an indication of their names and Christian
names, place and date of their birth, civil condition, their
legal residence, their occupation, business or position, and
their nationality.

The

utility of the

under a

population registers manifests

triple aspect: political, administrative

and

itself

statis-

BELGIUM

The

tical.

revision of the lists of electors for the legisla-

and the provincial and communal councils,

communal administration from the facts

tive chambers,
is

141

made by

the

noted in the population

registers; in police matters these

registers also render valuable services; finally, the regular

keeping of these documents makes it possible to draw up

certain parts of the annual statistics of the movement of
the population, to publish annually the approximate figure
of the population of the kingdom, and even, as in 1896, to
find therein, in case of necessity, the basis for

census without having recourse in the

technical enumeration.

B. Economic

Statistics.

^From

ment has concerned

itself

national prosperity.

The

first

an industrial

instance to a

the beginning the govern-

with the economic elements of

on mines, quarries
and metallurgical establishments date from 18S8. The
first statistics

outlines of these statistics were after some years revised and

completed on the advice of the Statistical Central Commission; a new publication appeared in 1852, relating to
the years 1845 to 1849.

The elements

of these statistics

corps of mine engineers, centralized

of a

mining

and

district,

present time*

it

chief engineers

finally transmitted to the central

administration which abstracts

publishes the results.

by the

are collected

by the

The

them by groups

publication

is

and
At the

of data

annual.

appears in a brochure and under the

title:

"Statistique des industries extractives et metallurgiques et

des appareils k vapeur en Belgique pour I'annee.

and
Belgium

(Statistics of extractive

metalliu-gic industries

steam apparatus

for the year

in

.).

and

."

of

They

include detailed tables relating to coal mines, their production, expenses, profits

personnel,

and

losses; the classification of the

the wages and the production per

employe.

Other summary tables relate to the manufacture of coke

* Since

1901; previous to that year the statistics of mines, etc., appeared

"Annales des Travaux publics" (up to 1894), and in the "Annates des Mines"
after that. Ever since 1855 they have been the object of special publications.
in

MEMORIAL VOLUME

142

and of charcoal, to licensed and free metallurgical mines

and to quarries. For these latter businesses, the data relating to open quarries are assembled by the communal admin-

The

istrations.

metallurgical industries are also the object

they include successively blast-furnaces, steel

works, the manufacture of zinc, of lead and of silver, the
manufacture of iron, and establishments for the working of
iron and steel; steam apparatus is included when accountof statistics

ing for the

number and power

of motors, the

number and

the heating surface in square meters of the generators, by

provinces and principal industries. In the provinces which

do not possess mines these data are gathered by the

The

engineers.

civil

publication ends with a table of the acci-

dents occurring in coal mines.

The

statistics of extractive

and metallurgical industries,

by the tax authori-

together with certain returns published

the excise law, are the

Belgian statistics containing data on industrial

ties relating to industries subject to

only

official

production; for this reason they are of special interest.

The

the foreign commerce of Belgium also

statistics of

date from the

first

years of national independence.

the Minister of the Interior

the

first

Seven

who took

It

was

the initiative in this,

publication embracing the years 1831 to 1834.

oflScial

publications appeared successively, the last

relating to the year 1840.

The

following year the statis-

commerce were placed under the Minister

of Finance, who still actually makes the returns.
The volume of business transactions was at first expressed
by means of "valem-s oflficielles permanentes" (permanent
tics of foreign

official values),

of merchandise

administration.

that

is

to say, the price at which each article

was valued, was

The

list

fixed,

once for

all,

by the

of values was decreed in 1833;

remained in force until the Order in Council of October

10, 1847, which prescribed an annual revision of values for
such merchandise as formed an important part in trade.
Since that time the system has been generalized. It is
necessary to note, however, that the revised official values

it

BELGIUM

143

are applied only to such products as are admitted free or

are subject to specific tax; the articles of merchandise taxed

ad valorem must be declared by the importer and exporter.

special commission of experts each year makes a revision

The cost of transportation up to the

Belgian frontier, or beginning from that point, are included
in the value.
of the official values.

The origin and the destination of merchandise is one of

the most important points to be explained. In Belgium,
from 1831 to 1840, it was held that the country of origin
was that from whence the merchandise came at the actual

moment
it

when in reality
The exports by land were

of its passage into Belgium, even

originated in another country.

considered as being destined for the country where the

merchandise entered when leaving Belgian soil. On this

however, Belgium appeared to have no. commercial relations with certain states, Switzerland for example.
principle,

This rule was abandoned in 1841.

Since that date the real

country of origin is sought for, that is to say, the country

from which the merchandise has been expedited on its
destination to Belgium, either directly or in transit through
other countries, even when there has been a transhipment.
In the countries of transhipment the merchandise must not
have become nationalized by being the object of a commercial transaction. The country of destination is indicated
by the exportation; it is the country toward which the merchandise is really sent, no matter whether the article is
Belgian in origin or nationalized.

Between 1831 and 1854 the Belgian

statistics

presented

foreign commercial products under three general headings:

and manufactured articles; under

the heading of produce was designated products delivered
This classification
for consumption in their natural state.
being from that
the
merchandise
in
1854,
abandoned
was
date enumerated in the rules of the custom house official in

raw

material, produce

MEMORIAL VOLUME

144

In 1907 the principle of systematic

grouping was revived, and in 1908 merchandise was grouped
and presented under four classes: I, live animals; II, beveralphabetical order.*

ages and foods; III, raw and simply prepared materials;

IV, manufactured products.

fifth division relating

There has recently been added

and silver metals, and gold

to gold

and silver coin.

Belgium has taken the

initiative in bringing

about an

international convention to consider the establishment of

commercial statistics common to the principal nations. The

first convention took place in Brussels in 1910.
An international conference

met

in the

same

city in 1913.

The

contractual states decided to establish, in addition to the

commercial

statistics

published by each country, special

based upon a common nomenclature, grouping

the merchandise imported and exported into a limited number of classes, with an indication of the value and, as far as
statistics

possible,

of

the weight.

A common

nomenclature was

decreed to this effect; the publication of these special statistics will

the

be assured by an

name

of

"Bureau

office established in

Brussels under

international de statistique

commer-

ciale"

This bm-eau will publish a bulletin.

become

obligatory,

after ratification,

The convention

will

beginning with the

it is concluded for seven years and may

be tacitly renewed. The signatory states are Germany,
Belgium, Bolivia, Chili, Col6mbia, Cuba, Denmark, San
Domingo, Spain, France, Great Britain, Guatemala, Haiti,
Honduras, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Norway, Para-

first of

July, 1914;

guay, Dutch East Indies, Peru, Persia, Portugal, Russia,

Siam, Sweden, Switzerland and Uruguay.

The common nomenclature

includes the five categories

* In 1906, we drew attention to the importance of these classifications and we

have shown what were the results one might draw from this grouping applied to
Belgium statistics. Compare our article " De quoi se compose le commerce ext^rieur
de la Belgique" (What constitutes foreign commerce in Belgium) in the Revue
economigue intemationaie {International Economic Review) March, 1907.

BELGIUM

145

enumerated above; the total number of articles of merchandise enumerated is 186.

The comparison of the data relating to international commerce cannot fail to lead to some general information of the
highest interest. It is to be desired that some of the large
states which have not yet become signatories to the convention will soon join with those who have given their adhesion.
To the commercial statistics are joined several statistics
subject to a particular fiscal rule
These industries are placed under the
control of government agents, and in that way their production can be known. With the mining and metallurgical
industries supervised by mine engineers, these are the only
Belgian industries of which some data relating to their production are known. Statistics are applicable to breweries,
vinegar factories, distilleries, sugar factories and refineries,

relating to industries
(excise

duties).

and to tobacco culture.

The most important contribution to economic
is that furnished by the censuses of industry.

statistics

We have
few words, the Census of 1846 organized by
remains for us to describe, briefly, the Censuses

set forth, in a

Quetelet.

It

of 1880, 1896

and 1910.*

The industrial census of December 31, 1880, was decreed

by the law of May 25, 1880, and was carried out at the same
time as the census of population and of agricultiu-e. From the
view point of the extent of
a special character. The

statistical operations, it presents

Statistical

had expressed the opinion that

it

Central Commission

was impossible to extend

the census indiscriminately to all industries and trades;

according to the Central Commission it was because too
much had been attempted in the industrial census of 1866
that nothing worth while had been secured. Therefore it
was decided to limit the return to 57 branches of industry
only, out of the 111 in the methodical classification. The
list of these industries is available in the official publication.
* Reproduced from the statement (ExposS) of the Methods of the Census of
Industry and Commerce, December 31, 1910.
11

MEMORIAL VOLUME

146

these restrictions, the census could not be

carried out in an absolutely complete fashion, for the questionnaires were obviously subject to errors or showed omis-

Even with

Serious difficulties resulted,

sions.

and these were consid-

ered so unsurmountable for certain industries that they were

abandoned, the facts obtained being absolutely incomplete.

Such was the case for the sea fisheries, the manufacture of
carpets, woolen and silk tapestries, the manufacture of laces
and of tulle and blond, the construction of sewing and quilting machines, the construction of telegraph and telephone
apparatus, public works enterprises, and the transportation
of mail, of passengers, and of merchandise by ordinary
roads,

by

railways,

was seen

It

and by navigation.

also that, after the abstracting of the docu-

ments, the data relating to industrial apparatus, the return

for which had been asked for on the instructions and ques-

As they appeared
was thought best not to publish them.
the other hand, the limits of some industries were ex-

tionnaires, were incomplete or defective.

to be too vague,

On

tended.

was

The

it

total

number

of industries taken into account

49.

The information
by the aid
kinds

steam

first,

was collected
These documents were of four

relating to these industries

of questionnaires.

the personal census; second, the census of motors,

boilers

and generators;

third, a census of industrial

apparatus, with the exception of

hand

tools; fourth, the

census of production.

In the personal returns the attempt was made to learn the

position held, the number and sex of the persons employed
in the industrial

undertakings, the

average duration of

employment and the time of employment, the wages of the

laborers per day (in money, in kind, or in share of profits).
The census of motors, steam boilers and generators aimed
to enumerate the number and power of the motors and the
customary steam pressure and the number of simple steam
generators.

BELGIUM
It has

147

been stated that the information relating to appa-

ratus was too incomplete to be published.

Finally, as regards production, the census

aimed to deter-

mine the number of products according to the nature of the

products, and also the value of the annual production.
The Census of 1880 revealed the existence in Belgium of
26,522 industrial establishments, divided among the 49
branches of industry considered; the number of employers

was 28,096, the number of

clerical

employes, 15,508, of

number of motors, 13,113, developing

242,435. As to the production, its value

laborers, 384,065; the

a horse-power of

was estimated to be, according to the census, 2,177 million

francs.

The Census

by the law of
was organized by the Order in Council of
July 22, following. This census, the methods and results
of which have been described in volume XVIII of the publiJune

of October 31, 1896, decreed

29, 1896,

cation, presents, in comparison with former enumerations,

a certain number of characteristic features which it is useful

to recall. In the first place, its generahty: it was exteiided
to all industries and trades, including home work, which had.
not been enumerated since the Censuses of 1846 and 1880,
and transportation industries, which were excluded in 1846,
and the collection of the data for which had been given up
in 1880. The only Belgian information to which that of
1896 is comparable, subject to the omissions which have
just been noted, is the industrial enumeration made fifty
years earlier, in 1846.

The Census of 1896 presents also the characteristic of

not being immediately preceded nor accompanied by any
general enumeration. To obtain knowledge of the employers and heads of workingmen's families to whom the
forms should be sent, use was made of the population registers, established as a result of the decennial census of the
population, December 31, 1890, and brought down to date
by the communal

administrations.

The use of these regismade a careful cor-

ters as a basis of census operations

MEMORIAL VOLUME

148

documents indispensable; the mechanism

of these supplementary operations, too long to describe in
this place, are stated in detail in volume XVIII (already
rection of

the

cited) of the publication.

Not only were the employers

required to answer a ques-

tionnaire, but in addition the heads of workingmen's fam-

were invited to complete the blank forms relating to the

wage-earning population. A special form (Form B) was
sent to every family in which at least one member had been
designated on the population register as a workingmanor
workingwoman in industry or trade. This furnished the

ilies

following

family:

information concerning every member of the

Christian name, sex, place of birth, date

name and

of birth, civil condition, degree of relationship to the

the household or occupation.

home

head

of

special agent visiting the

noted for every workingman or workingwork at

home or outside of house, name and industry of the employer, commime where establishment was located, street
and number.
It may be said that the essential characteristic of the
Census of October 31, 1896, was the minute correction to
which the documents were subjected. Independently of
internal criticisms to which they were subjected, the forms
intended to contain the answers of the persons enumerated
were distributed to the heads of workingmen's families and
of the family

woman

in industry or trade the following facts:

thus served as a reciprocal check.

Form B

assisted materi-

ally in correcting the faulty returns relating to classification

of industries and to the number of occupied workingmen;

they served also to bring out the omissions in the census of
industrial enterprises of small importance.
Other means of
check also supplemented this process of statistical criticism.
From the census of industries there were excluded: the
Belgian government railroads; the various public services
of the local administrations, of an industrial character; the
enterprises pertaining to establishments or institutions of

an unproductive character; the industrial occupations which

BELGIUM

149

are intimately associated with the carrying on of trade;

industries which

may

and

be considered as a prolonging of the

agricultural industry.

The Census

of 1896

showed 337,395

enterprises

and

divi-

engaged in
enterprises, of whom 842,000 were workingmen and workingwomen in private enterprises, among whom 118,000 workingmen and workingwomen worked at home; small industries
(1 to 4 workers) engaged 13.92 per cent, of the working
population; industries of average size (5 to 49 workers) 26.96
per cent. large industries (50 to 499 workers) 36.66 per cent.
and the largest industries (500 workers and over) 23.46 per
sions of enterprises, 1,102,244 persons actively

cent.

The Census of 1910 was extended to industry and

commerce. It was taken December 31, by means of two
individual forms distributed by census agents at the homes
of all persons whose names appeared on the household form
used for the population census, as carrying on an industrial
or commercial occupation.
The employers in industry and those engaged in commerce
were required to make answer to the questions in a special
form; these questions concerned the nature of the industry
or of the commerce, the juridical form of the enterprise and
the fact as to whether or not the enterprise listed on the form
was, in its entirety, the only occupation of the employer,
or whether it was a division of a business, the number of
motors and their horse power, whether the sales were wholesale or retail (as regards

commerce), and

finally,

the

number

of persons employed (members of the family of the employer,

clerical force

and wage

earners).

individual form was for the purpose of collecting the answers of the clerical force, of the workingmen in
factories and the workingmen in homes, and the collabo-

The second

workmen of the latter.

The census was entirely centralized. All the forms were
transmitted by the communal administrations to the Bureau
rating

of Labor; that office examined, corrected

and abstracted

MEMORIAL VOLUME

150

There were 383,094 returns to the communal administrations to be corrected or completed; 95,537 forms were
discarded, either because they related to categories not
included in the census or because they were duplicates.
them.

The

census comprises two parts: the occupational enu-

meration and the industrial enumeration. The occupational

enumeration shows, commune by commune, the number
of persons carrying on an industrial or commercial occupation, whether they are independent owners of the business,
members of the family of the employer, clerical employes,
workmen, unemployed, the industry or branch of commerce
in which they are employed (38 groups).
In addition, two blanks are reserved for the study of
supplementary occupations. A fourth blank was reserved
for statistics of wage earners and employes working in a
commune other than that of their domicile, the migrations
of workingmen being of considerable importance in Belgium
on account of the easy means of transportation. These
statistics make possible for the first time a study of this

phenomenon in all its details.

The occupational enumeration is published.
The second part, in preparation, is the industrial enumeration.

It includes four blanks relating to the nature of the

and their location, the juridical form of the enterand their extent expressed by the number of workingmen employed and, finally, the sex, age and civil condition
of the workingmen and clerical employes.
There were enumerated on December 31, 1910 (occupaindustries,
prises

tional census)

For industry: 260,521 employers, 91,693 members

of the

families of employers, 86,302 clerical employes, 1,185,381

manual

laborers, 1,161 clerks not working, 85,103

laborers not working

manual

a grand total of 1,710,161 persons, to

whom are to be added 8,983 persons carrying on under a

supplementary title an occupation connected withi ndustry.
For commerce: 216,130 employers, 215,696 members of
families of employers, 48,822 clerical employes, 37,711

man-

BELGIUM

151

ual laborers, 1,621 clerical employes not working, 2,783 manual workers not working, making a total of 522,763 persons;
in addition, 24,045 persons carrying

on under a supplemena commercial occupation.

Taking into account 5,084 persons enumerated who have
not been classed in a definite group, there were then at the
time of the census 2,238,008 persons carrying on under a
principal occupation heading an industry or commercial
tary

title

business,

and 33,028 persons belonging to these

categories

by reason

of their supplementary occupation.

The popuBelgium being 7,417,454 on the same date, the
population engaged in industry or commercial industries
represents more than 30 per cent, of the total.
C. Social Statistics. ^We have already said that the first
judicial statistics compiled in Belgium were due to the initiative of Quetelet; aided by Ed. Smits, director of the
statistical bureau, he published a return, including the years
1826 to 1830, and embracing the courts of assize, the correctional tribunals, and the pohce tribunals.
Later the
Department of Justice continued to publish these statistics

lation of

at irregular intervals, following the plan of Quetelet.

In
1832, there were added statistics of civil and commercial
justice which formed the subject matter of a special publication.
The statistics of criminal justice were established for
the civil year (January 1 to December 31); the statistics of
civil and commercial justice for the judicial year (October
This arrangement still exists.
1 to September 30).
After it was decided to publish every ten years an account
of the condition of the kingdom, the judicial statistics disappeared as a special publication. The figures relating to
the activity of the criminal courts during the years 1840 to
1849, and of the civil and commercial courts during the years
1841-1842 to 1849-1850, were included in an account of
the condition of the kingdom for the period 1840 to 1850;
figures for the years 1850 to 1859 for criminal statistics, and
from 1850-51 to 1858-59 for civil statistics, in the account
(I'Expose) for the period 1850 to 1860.

Meanwhile, the

MEMORIAL VOLUME

152

figures for the first half of the

decade were also published in

by the Minister of the

the statistical collection published

Interior.

Beginning with 1860, the judicial statistics were again

the object of special publications, relating to both

made

criminal actions and civil and commercial actions.

volumes appeared in succession, embracing,

first,

Four

the years

1861 to 1867*; second, the years 1868 to 1875; third, the

years 1876 to 1880; fourth, the years 1881 to 1885.
All the statistics published up to this time were no more
than a resume of those compiled by the various tribunals or
judicial oflfices.
Between 1844 and 1849 it was thought
best, in order to facilitate the task of the compilers, to re-

quire them to copy daily in the registers sent them by the

Minister of Justice such matters as would be included in the
principal statistical tables.
This system did not produce
all

of the results that were expected, especially in the matters

relating to

criminal statistics.

On

the other hand, the

publications conforming to those of French criminal statis-

gave the individual characteristics of the delinquents

and the causes of crime in insuflBcient detail. The reform of
judicial statistics was made the subject of an investigation
about 1890; but this reform was not actively prosecuted
tics

under the direction of our learned colleague, M.

Ch. De Lannoy. The result was a complete revision of the
framework, of the methods of compilation, and of the plan
of publication.
Since 1898 the judicial statistics had appeared annually, t From the beginning the reform concerned
itself only with trial courts and courts of judgment.
Actuntil 1896,

ually

it

included besides judicial statistics, properly so called,

the statistics of prisons, those of vagrancy, of pauperism, of

child protection, of deaf-mutes, of the blind,

insane.

courts, the prosecutors

and the

and

of the

trial

judges

The new

In order to facilitate the transition between the old and the new publica-

tions, there

The

statistical

penal code was promulgated in 1867.

was published for the twelve years included between 1885 and 1898
resume of the activity of the civil and criminal courts.

BELGIUM

153

are no longer called

upon to furnish criminal statistics, except facts of an administrative kind. The data relating to

condemned

persons, to their antecedents, to the penalties

they have incurred, are derived directly by the Bureau of

Statistics of the Ministry of Justice from the briefs in the
pigeon-holes of the courts.

This method gives all the necessary guarantees of accuracy

and gives to the judicial statistics designated "criminal
statistics" a special value from the scientific point of view.

The Bureau

Labor has brought an important contribuand

monographs on wages, and on the hours of labor of wage
earners in industry. The general Census of October 31,
1896, attempted to collect circumstantial data relating to
rates of wages by means of a questionnaire addressed to all
employers. The heads of business concerns were invited
to give, separately, for male and female wage earners, ages
over sixteen years and under sixteen years, and by kind of
employment for each classification of wage earners, the
total wages paid, at the last normal payment, the number of
wage earners between whom this sum was divided, the total
number of days work. By normal pay was understood that
which had not been affected by any external events such as
If the last payment had
strikes, stoppages for repairs, etc.
not been normal, it was necessary to choose a former payment conforming to that requirement.
of

tion to social statistics through its general inquiries

The

questionnaire required, besides, the facts relating to

and other
advantages, and particularly the method of fixing wages
extra payments, bonuses, participation in profits,

(by the hour, by the day, by the task, by the piece or

by the

job).

This method, which represented a great improvement over

the methods previously employed, still did not make it
possible to study the effective distribution of wages in the
class of

wage

earners, for in the

same

special line of

work

there are numerous differences between individuals in the

MEMORIAL VOLUME

154

matter of wages.

by the

The

statistics of

wages were compiled

two supplementary operations: the forms of

the small industries (up to twenty wage earners) were sent
back to the employers and they were invited to subdivide
aid of

the occupational classifications into as

there were different rates of wages.

many

groups as

For the establishments which did not fall under the heading of small industries, the statistics of wages were compiled

by agents from the Bureau

of Labor, who were charged with

the collection, from the pay-roll of the actual wages of the

individuals.

The purpose of these supplementary statistics was to determine with absolute exactness the daily wages of the
wage earners affected, to the end of the month of October,
1896, and to work out the number of hours during which
they were normally occupied during that period. The notion
of an average wage was therefore completely disregarded.
In this way the wages of 671,511 wage earners were collected and it has been possible to determine exactly the actual
daily wage of 612,892 of these, from the pay-roll of the employer.
We do not know of another example of so detailed statistics of wages, nor so extensive, considering that
the total number of wage earners included in the census
exceeded 671,000.
In the coiu"se of the inquiry into wages, considerable
modifications took place in the rates of wages of workers in
coal mines. The Bureau of Labor decided to fix, by means
of a supplementary inquiry, the direction and extent of the
variations reported in this particular field. The results
were published in 1901, under the title "Statistique des
salaires dans les mines dehouille" (Statistics of wages in
coal mines. October, 1896, May, 1900).
Finally, to complete the facts previously gathered, the
Bureau of Labor undertook a new inquiry concerning wages
in textile industries, as of October 31, 1901, and a second
inquiry relating to the wages in metal industries, as of
October 31, 1903. These inquiries, following the census

BELGIUM

155

method of 1896, endeavored to find the individual wages

and abandoned the notion of an average wage. A special
agent of the Biu-eau of Labor visited all the establishments
employing more than ten wage earners, a Kst of which had
been prepared through the aid of the archives of the census
of 1896; 709 firms were thus visited in the textile industry,
and in only nine among these was an answer refused to the
agent of the Bureau of Labor. Everywhere else the data
relating to the rates of wages were taken

from the pay-rolls

most cases the facts were copied
personally by the agent of the Bureau of Labor. The wages
of 71,512 wage earners in the textile industry were thus determined and compared with those of 1896. The same
methods were adopted for the inquiry relating to the wages
in the metal industries, in the course of which data were
collected relating to the wages of 84,136 wage earners,
grouped in 1,083 estabHshments.
of the employers

The

and

in

statistics of industrial accidents

may

be considered
they

in social statistics, although in certain of their aspects

equally concern economic statistics.

published in 1912 the

first

The Bureau

of

Labor

return relating to this important

problem which has appeared in Belgium.

The method

followed has recently been set forth in that publication in

great detail,
it

making

it

unnecessary for us to here describe

otherwise than very briefly.

The reparation made for industrial

by a law of December 24, 1903. By
institutions

accidents

is

regulated

virtue of this law the

which have assumed the UabiKty of the em-

ployers are required to collect

all

the facts relating to these

them to the
This oflSce thus disposes of the complete
material gathered according to instructions and controlled
accidents and their results, and to communicate

Biu-eau of Labor.

by itself.
The first

results of the statistics of industrial accidents

appeared in 1912. The Bureau of Labor has taken care to
estabhsh the industrial divisions in such manner as to make
it possible to calculate the risk peculiar to each industry;

MEMORIAL VOLUME

156

and the

employ a motor have been separately compiled. Special attention has been given to the
nomenclature of industries so as to group homogeneous
enterprises which

study of accidents has been made in accordance with the classification of the wage earners by age

risks; finally, the

and by rates of wages.

There remain to be mentioned in this domain the statistics of strikes and lockouts published by the Bureau of Labor,
but we omit to analyse them as it would unduly extend this
statement.
III.

The

Officyial Statistical

list

Publications of Belgium.

18S0-19H,

of statistical publications appearing in

Belgium

has been prepared by the Department of General Statistics,

established in the Ministry of the Interior, and appear in

The list stops

down to April 30,

the Statistical Annual of Belgium for 1914.

with the year 1910; we have completed

1914.
(See page 166 et seq.)

Chapter

III.

The Future

it

of Statistics

While it is not always easy to describe in the form of a

r^sum^ a system as old, varied and complex as the statistics
of Belgium, one can nevertheless try to present a statement
as accurate and impartial as possible. But those who have
taken it upon themselves to collect this series of articles
expect something more of us; they desire that the authors
of the descriptive memoirs express their views as to the
future development of statistics. The science which we
cultivate is the first to warn us against the dangers of prophecies.
The thankless r61e of a prophet does not tempt us.
We do not know along what lines the statistics of Belgium
will develop and toward what ideal they will tend. We shall
simply indicate in what direction they could, according to
our judgment, reach their fullest development.
If one studies the list of statistical publications which
have appeared in Belgium, one can hardly forbear homage

BELGIUM

157

to the industry, ingenuity

and perseverance which was

needed to accumulate such a wealth of information. The
works published by our administrative services are many
and various; they embrace the most diverse aspects of social,
economic and moral activity. The origin of a great many of
them dates back to the very first years of our political independence, and one must admire the pluck of the provisional
government, not yet any too firmly estabhshed after the
revolution of 1830, which at that critical moment decreed
the establishment of a statistical office, thereby expressing
its faith in

the continuity and success of the task of national

emancipation.

Many of

have had in their time the merit of

and agricultural censuses of 1846
served for a long time as models which in their day and manner enriched the statistical methods with a multitude of
ideas and interesting and novel methods.
Special merit
may be claimed for the boldness and novelty of the statistics
of wages of the industrial census of 1896, so perfectly planned
by our colleague, and at that time co-worker, M. Em. Waxweiler, statistics which furnished the most reliable data on
the wages of 612,892 laborers out of 671,596 enumerated.
The statistics of industrial accidents have certainly benefited, as was to be expected from the acquired experience;
the revision and presentation of the material have been
considerably improved upon and the financial aspect of the
problem has been elucidated by the great attention to detail
and accuracy. Finally, it is worthy of notice that, in that
part of the industrial and commercial census which has just
appeared and which deals with occupations, there is to be
found the most detailed information relating to incidental
occupations and to the migration of laborers, a phenomenon
so interesting to trace in a small country like Belgium where
the means of transportation are numerous and inexpensive.
These opinions of things with which we are most familiar
by no means exclude a similar opinion on any other division
novelty.

our

The

statistics

industrial

of Belgian statistics.

MEMORIAL VOLUME

158

We have had in Belgium an illustrious

statistician, a man
many excellent parts. The name of Quetelet is too well
known to need recalling, but through the rays of his glory
one may discover some stars whose brilUancy is dimmed by

of

that of this eminent savant.

brought out in Belgium a group of

Statistical science has

remarkable

men who have

given us a large number of val-

uable works, some of which are beyond compare.

general view, however, of the development of Belgian

statistics does

not leave one with an unreservedly favorable

impression.

While certain divisions of the statistics are treated in a

comprehensive and methodical manner, others are of a more
fragmentary character and without a definite plan. Omissions and duplication caused by lack of coordination between
the different ministerial departments are frequently met
with. Certain branches of statistics are entirely neglected,
Others, started

as, for instance, financial statistics.

years ago, have

made no

many

progress and have not been devel-

oped, such as the statistics of industrial production.

In
one and the same ministerial department several oflBces are
occupied with statistics, and jealously defend their administrative functions to the neglect of

harmony between

Such lack

their

"team-play" militates directly against the perfecting of the personnel and the
material, and the employment of costly machinery, the use
of which is recognized as necessary.
The Belgian statistics are decentralized.
We do not
speak merely of that form of archaic decentralization which
In those inis now found only in a few isolated cases.

methods and

stances the

definitions.

communal

of

administrations publish their

own

which the central office, after a purely

arithmetical verification, file away without being able to

statistical reports,

verify their accuracy.

If this

such

is

method may be defended

in very large countries,

not the case in Belgium where the statistical mate-

BELGIUM

159

not so extensive that its compilation and tabulation in

a central office is impracticable.
The decentralization which we have in mind concerns the
division of the work between nine or ten ministerial departments. We have seen that this was regretted by Quetelet.
At present the demographic statistics are assigned to the
Ministry of the Interior. The Ministry of Finance has
charge of the commercial statistics and shipping; and this
same department also concerns itself with certain industries
and publishes yeports on the sea fisheries which are really
collected by the Department of Marine. The judicial statistics are compiled by the Ministry of Justice together with
certain other more or less unexpected schedules, such as the
statistics of the insane, deaf-mutes, blind persons, and bankrial is

ruptcies.

The Department
transportation,

of Highways deals with land and water

and the Department of Railways has charge

of transportation

by

rail.

by the Department

The

labor statistics are taken care

but several other offices of

the Ministry of Industries and Labor concern themselves
with related questions, etc.
Briefly, it is always difficult to know exactly which ministerial department has charge of collecting and publishing
of

of Labor,

data in any one division of statistics.

The advantages which would accrue from a centralization
of statistical operations are scientific, administrative

and

practical.

Unity of methods, comparative statistical criticism,

elimination of duplication, a common working plan, perfect
(a)

regularity of the publications in the different departments,

are not possible except under a centralized system.

The

Statistical Central

Commission had

for its very pur-

pose the realization of a general management and, to a certain extent, of a uniform plan of execution. But too often
There are
this program is still no more than a theory.

numerous reasons in law and fact which explain why this is so.
It is left to the discretion of the heads of the ministerial de-

MEMORIAL VOLUME

160

partments as to when to consult the Statistical Central Commission with regard to work which they intend to undertake,
or to propose modifications which they consider desirable
of a plan previously adopted.
On its part, the commission
only
deplore
can
the absence of statistics which they regard
as interesting but which they have neither the means to
realize themselves nor to obtain through others.
These unfortunate circumstances are responsible for the lack of a
imiform plan apparent in the mass of our publications. The
Statistical Central Commission has always shown great activity, but it can not exceed its authority, nor increase its powers.
(b) Instead of having a number of unimportant and inconspicuous statistical offices, mere pawns on the administrative chess board, centralization
tial

would give us an influenits views and obtain

administration which could defend

their acceptance.

The funds appropriated could be better distributed and

be used to better advantage than under the present system;
it is even probable that substantial economies could be
effected.

The

greatest advantage, however, would be that a cen-

tralized service

would have at

its disposal

trained office force familiar with

able to

its

maximum

commands a

its

a methodically
and work-

special needs

No office in Belgium
enough to undertake an important

of efficiency.

force large

task, recurring periodically, such as a census.

We

should also obviate the difficulty arising from the

employment of a temporary force for work of this kind,

selected from motives quite foreign to statistics. At best,
the least objectionable course would suggest a few months'
education for newcomers, and there would still be found
unassimilable elements among them. In Belgium there are
no special proofs of aptitude required before admission to the
departments which deal with one or the other branch of
statistics.

The

titles, salaries,

promotions, are the same as

those adopted for other administrative services.

viduals have

made

statistical science their

While indi-

vocation by spe-

BELGIUM
cializing in scientific researches, others

161

may have come into

the service through accidental administrative combinations,

or in the hope of improving their position.

It

to conceive of a

more methodical organization.

The education

of the professional statistician

is

possible

ought to be
can acquire a general
education in a university course comprising philosophy,
pohtical economy or mathematics; a fit discipline in the
development of the reasoning faculties. None of these
general and special.

statistician

studies should exclude the others; of matheniaticians

we

would require as thorough a study of logic as of pohtical

economy; of economists should be demanded a knowledge
of certain branches of mathematics; and of doctors of philosophy a knowledge of the conceptions of political economy
and mathematics.
The training of the statistician should be special, like that
in the professions.

The central statistical service should have as many sections

as there are divisions or applications: demography, moral

economic statistics, financial and

administrative statistics. The whole service should be
under an official bearing the title Director General or President: and at the head of each section should be a statistician
with the rank of Director. No one should be appointed to
take charge of a section without having worked in each other
section long enough to acquii-e a practical knowledge of the
different methods.
One or two assistant statisticians would
have to assist the head of a section in directing the work of
the clerks; these assistants should be chosen from clerks who
have shown special aptitude and efficiency in actual statistical work.
This organization would not be complete, however, if it
did not succeed in establishing a firm and durable link between itself and the intellectual classes of the country. The
thing most lacking in our statistical offices, which are, so to
statistics, social statistics,

speak, dovetailed into a congeries of administrative institutions,

12

is

sufficient contact

with the public, a defect which

MEMORIAL VOLUME

162
is

largely responsible for the manifest indifiFerence to statistics

of the masses.
An eminent statistician, M. de
once said "there are even today many people who
seem to think that statistics are for the exclusive use of statisticians
an error like that of believing that bread is made for
the bakers only." If this error has spread, it is because
everything has been done to bring it into being and nothing

on the part
Foville,

Those who ultimately use statistics

away from statistical
oflBces and do not succeed in making their demands heard,
and receive but tardy and incomplete satisfaction. The
central statistical oflSce should keep in intimate and continuous contact with industrial, commercial and financial
interests; it should be carefully informed on subjects and

neglected to foster

it.

are legion, but they are carefully kept

questions of special interest to these groups.

at the disposal of the cities

It should place

and communities

the information which concerns them; and

of the nation

should puba periodical for quick information kept well up to date

on all economic, financial, demographic and moral phenomena. This task would fall chiefly upon the president of the
oflBce, who should be a young, active, clear-headed man. The
central statistical service ought also to be accessible to students of political economy and statistical science in the
Universities and commercial high schools. We have in
Belgium five or six courses in statistics with many students.
But how many of these have a clear idea of an analysis, of
the advantage of this method, or that machine? What we
are striving for is not merely, as M. Waxweiler would have it,
to found a seminary from which the future functionaries
can be recruited. Our aim is more far-reaching; our objective broader.
We would initiate our future men of
affairs, bankers, merchants, manufacturers, into the methods
all

it

lish

and resources

of statistics so that all

would seriously make

use of them.

In other words, the central statistical service ought to be

a veritable scientific laboratory where anyone who so desires
can come and work. It is remarkable that the utilization

BELGIUM
of published statistics

is

163

generally narrowly restricted.

Too

and deductions are dry and lacking life

almost impossible that it should be otherwise, for a single author has neither the time nor the inclination to illuminate and enlarge upon the aspects of the problems for which the statistics oflfer or ought to offer a solution.
All this would be different if a movement were stirred up
among the intellectual classes of the country and the young
students were encouraged to come and work in the offices of
the central service, and to extract from the official publica-

often the analyses

and

detail.

It

is

tions all the conclusions they contain.

Carefully compiled
a wealth of information; but too often they
remain unused or are used in an incomplete or biassed fashion.
statistics contain

We are, therefore, of the opinion that official statistics should

be so presented as to allow of their largest possible use, that
the summaries be numerous and detailed, that the original
documents be always at the disposal of investigators and,
finally, that the administration limit itself to drawing general
conclusions from its works, but take good care to popularize
and distribute them, stimulating a scientific rivalry among
the learned public with the view to develop them and go to
the bottom of things.

In a centralized system of

the institution of the

organized in Belgium, loses its
raison d'itre. And yet, the existence of a consulting body
is absolutely indispensable to the control of the central servCentral Commission, as

ice,

statistics

it is

and to the maintenance

of a

permanent Hnk between

the departmental administrations and the statisticians.

The Central Commission should be transformed into a
Superior Council of Statistics. It should be composed of

and administrative experts, appointed by the king

upon the recommendation (with a certain number of votes)
of the learned bodies, all the section chiefs and the president
scientific

of the central service taking equal part in

We

it.

have questioned our colleagues, professors of Belgian

statistics, as to the advantage of centrahzation and as to the
qualifications needed in statistical officials.
Among the

MEMORIAL VOLUME

164

we note the following which comes from

Waxweiler and which we quote in part, verbatim
replies received

The

M.

Director and his co-workers must hold a university diploma vouching not

only for statistical science but also for general attainments in social sciences in
general. Moreover, they must have passed through the administrative routine or
have had a sufficient experience in the conduct of a complete statistical inquiry, that
is to say, from its inception to its readiness for publication.
The University training, so far as it deals with statistical science, must not only
extend to the study of statistical processes, such as the theory of probabilities and
the mathematical analysis of fluctuations, but it must also concern itself with the
study of statistics already published and must include the personal preparation ot
two or three works on applied statistics.
Moreover, there ought to be some means of assuring to the management of the
Statistical Bureau as much freedom as possible from the administrative atmosphere.

M. Waxweiler suggests, for instance, such means as the

formation of a hbrary attached to the general management,
the organization of periodical meetings of the chiefs of the
assignment of
the co-workers,

service, the institution of a "seminaire," the

the execution of certain investigations to

all

the assurance, to each collaborator in an investigation, that

name and personahty will be made known.

One thus sees that our eminent colleague suggests a large
number of measures of which we have already approved or,

his

at least, he indicates plans similar to

many

of those

which

At the same time we would suggest

the one exception that the Central Bureau, and that alone,

we have advocated.

ought to assume the responsibility for the investigations

undertaken and the work published. In statistical matters
the aids which are rendered to the author of the program or
to

him who

directs the investigations are so

numerous and

important that it would be a real injustice to give credit to

any one person, no matter how interesting he may be.
(c)

From

the practical standpoint:

among the different ministerial

departments, the statistical offices possess but mediocre
resources and a fortuitous equipment. The way they are
At

present, being divided

organized presents a direct and insurmountable obstacle to

the improvement of the statistical mechanical appliances.
complete installation of all the machinery used in other

BELGIUM

165

mechanism would
were used continuously, upon a large

countries would be ruinous; moreover, this

not really

pay unless

it

and with a view to intensive production, conditions

which can, of course, exist only under a centralized system.
We will not speak of the oflSces which are rarely suited to
scale

their purpose.

The

simpHfication which would result from centralization,

money would more

than pay for the initial expenditure.
We would like to see the Statistical Central Service housed
in a large building away from the beaten track in attractive
surroundings, on simple and harmonious lines. We have
in mind a building with a central front part set off by a few
steps leading to an entrance hall, the directors' office and
waiting room on either hand. In the background there
would be a spacious semi-circular library with galleries; from
this semi-circle five or six spacious wings should radiate on
a fanlike plan. Each of these wings would be occupied by a
special branch of statistics, such as demography, social and
economic statistics, etc. At the ends nearest the semi-circle,

the econpmy in personnel, in time and in

containing the library, are the offices of the chiefs of the

respective branches. From these offices the wings increase

width towards their farther end, dovetail fashion, and

should all be connected by a glazed corridor affording easy
communication. The side walls should contain no windows
but be left free for papers and books. The lighting should
come from above. Instead of a second floor there would be
a large basement court surrounded by petty offices and
approached by ramps. In this basement there would be

in

and bookwould be the sanitary arrangements, a

sterilization room for documents, vacuum cleaning and
central heating systems, and electric elevators to carry bulletins about the work rooms.
iron shelves for statistical material, the archives

Here

storage.

also

our conception of the future of statistics. The

far distant; but let us bear in mind that toreality
day's dream has often become tomorrow's reality.

This

is

is still

May

1,

1914.

PUBLICATIONS STATISTIQUES OFFICIELLES DE

LA BELGIQUE DE 1830 X 1914
OUVBAGES GeNEBAUX.
Documents

atatistiques sur le

Royaume de

Belgigue, recueillis et publics par le

Ministre de I'lnt^rieur.
3 publication officielle.

ume;

1836, 1 volume; 4 publication

5 publication officielle.

1838, 1 vol-

officielle.

1840, 1 volume; 6 publication

officielle.

1841, 1

volume.

Documents statistiques publics parle D^partement de I'IntSrieur avec

la commission centrale de statistique.

le

concours

de

Tome 1, 1857; tome II, 1858; tome III, 1859; tome IV, 1860; tome V, 1861; tome
VI, 1862; tome VII, 1863; tome VIII, 1864; tome IX, 1865; tome X, 1866; tome
XI, 1867; tome XII, 1868; tome XIII, 1869.
Annuaire

statistique de la Belgigue (Minist&re

Statistique gtofirale). Publication annuelle.

Bulletin trimestriel public par le

1 ann^e, n

rinterieur.

de I'lnt&ieiU', Administration de la

1" annee, 1870.

Bureau de la Statistique generale du Minist^re de

Septembre 1909.

IUsum,S des rapports sur la situation administrative des provinces

de Belgigue pour 1840, presente au Roi par

le

Ministre de

et

des

I'lutfirieur.

communes
1841, 1

volume (envisage partiellement la p^riode d^cennale 1831-1840).

Expose de la situation du Royaume (pSriode dScenncde de 18^1-1850), public par
le

Ministre de

I'lntfirieur,

1852, 1 volimie.

Id.

(piriode dScennale 1851-1860).

Id.

de 1861 & 1875, publie par les soins de la Commission centrale de statistique,

1865, 3 volumes.

1885, 2 volumes.
Id.

de 1876 & 1900, redige sous la direction de la Commission centrale de statis-

tique.

Tome

I,

1907; tome II, 1912;

tome

III, 1914.

Bulletin de la Commission centrale de statistique (Ministere de I'lntdrieur.

istration

de

Tome I,

Admin-

la Statistique Generale).

1843; tome II, 1845; tome III, 1847;

tome IV, 1851; tome V, 1853; tome

VI, 1855; tome VII, 1857; tome VIII, 1860; tome IX, 1866; tome X, 1866; tome
XI, 1869; tome XII, 1872; tome XIII, 1878; tome XIV, 1881; tome XV, 1883;
tome XVI, 1890; tome XVII, 1897 (avec en annexe Y Album de statistique graphique.

Demographic

et

hygiine de la

ville

de Bruxelles

par M.

docteur E. Janssens)

le

tome XVIII, 1904; tome XIX, 1906; tome XX, 1909.

TeBBITOIHE et PoPtriATION.
Statistique territoriale

du Royaume de Belgigue, bas^e sur

les

r&ultats des opera-

tions cadastrales executles jusqu'^ la fin de 1834, publiee par le Ministre des Fi-

nances.

1839-1853, 2 volumes.

Recherehes sur la reproduction

et le

popvlaiion de la Belgigue d'apris

Ed. Smits. 1" recueil

officiel,

le

mortalitS de I'hom/me

aux

diffSrents Ages et sur la

recensement de 1829, par

1832, 1 volume.

MM.

A. Quetelet et

BELGIUM

167

Population. Recensement ghiSral (15 octobre 1846), public par le Ministre de

1849, 1 volume.

rintfirieur.

dfcembre 1856). 1861. 1 volume.

Id.
(31 d^cembre 1866).
1870, 1 volume.
Tableau de le population du Royaume (population de residence habituelle, dite de
droit) d^termin^e par le recensement gnral du 31 dScembre 1876 (Miniature de
Id.

(31

rint^rieur).

1877, 1 volume.

Population.

Recensement gSniral (31 d6cembre 1880), public par

du 31 d6cembre
du 31 d^cembre
du 31 decembre

Id.
Id.
Id.

Population.

1890.

1893, i volumes.

1900.

1903, i volumes.
1913, 2 volumes (un

1910.

Relev6 dScennal 1831 & ISlfi.

public par le Ministre de I'lnt^rieur.

Population.

Mouvement de

istre I'lutfirieur.

Ministre de

volume

reste k paraltre).

Mouvement de VUat

civil

de 1840

1842, 1 volume.

I'^at civil

pendant I'annee 1841, public par

le

Min-

1843, 1 volimie.

pendant I'ann^e 1842, 1844,

Id.

le

1884, 1 volume.

rinterieur.

volume; anne 1843, 1844,

volume; ann^e

1844, 1845, 1 volume; annte 1845, 1846, 1 volume; annfie 1846, 1848, 1 volume;

ann^

1847, 1843, 1 volume; anne 1848, 1849, 1 volume; ann^e 1849, 1850, 1 vol-

ume; anne 1850, 1851, 1 volume.

Staiistique du mouvement de I'Mat
dant

ann^s 1867 k 1881

les

eentrale de staiistique).

(Extrait

civil et

de la population du

du tome

XV du Bulletin

Royaume pen-

de la Commission

1883, 1 volume.

pendant I'annte 1882 (Ministfire de I'lnterieur. Extrait du Moniteur beige).

1883, 1 volume; annee 1883, 1884, 1 volume; anne 1884, 1885, 1 volume;
annee 1885, 1886, 1 volume.
RelevS officiel du chiffre de la population du Royaume par pi-ovisce, par arrondissement administratif et par commune & la date du 31 decembre 1886 (Minist&re de
rinterieur. Extrait du Moniteur beige du 14 juillet 1887).
1887, 1 brochure.
Id.

Publication annuelle.
StatisHque du mouvement de la population

Id.

en 1900, 1904,

Htoienb.

et

de Vital

civil

Administration de la Statistique Gdn^rale).

rinterieur.

en 1890 (Minist^re de
1895, 1 volume.

volume.

Statistique Medicale.

Statistique

mMicale de I'armSe

F^riode de 1868-1869, pr^c^d^e d'une

beige.

statistique sur la mortalite dans les hdpitaux et infirmeries militaires

annfies 1862

k 1867.

periode de 1876-1879.

pendant

les

1871, 1 volume; p^riode de 1870-1874.

1877, 1 volume;

p&iode de 1880-1884.

1886, 1 volume.

1883, 1 volume;

Publication annuelle k partir de 1885 (Miuist^re de la Guerre).

Conseil

supirieur

d'hygihie

(MinistSre de I'lnterieur.

Tome

I,

pubtique.

Rapports

adressSs

au

Gouvemement

Administration du service de sante et de I'hygi&ne).

annees 1849-1855 k tome XVII, 1908-1909; tomes XVIII et suivants:

im volume annuel.
Rapports des commissions medicates provindales sur leurs travaux pendant

anuses 1859 k 1868, 1881 et suivantes

(les

Publication annuelle (Miniature de I'lnterieur.

sante et de I'hygiene).

les

anndes 1869 k 1880 n'ont pas paru).

Administration du service de

MEMORIAL VOLUME

168
Bulletin sp6eial

du

service de

sanU

et

de Vhygihne publigue.

Annies

18!)3 et

1894

(Bulletin mensuel).

Bulletin

du

service de santS et de I'hygiene publigue.

Annees 1895 4 1905 (Bulletin

mensuel).
Bulletin du service de santi et de Vhygiine.
Bulletin de V Administration

du

Annies 1906 et 1907 (Bulletin mensuel)

Annees 1908 et

service de santi et de I'hygiene.

suivantes (Bulletin mensuel).

service de surveillance de la fabrication et du commerce des denrSes
Compte-rendu mensuel des mesures prises par le Gouvernement en
execution de la loi du i aodt 1890 ainsi que des efifets produits par ces mesures.
Annte 1893 a 1907. Depuis le 1"- Janvier 1908, ces renseignements sont publics
dans le Bulletin de V administration du service de santi et de I'hygiene.
Bulletin sanitaire. Public tous les jeudis ou tons les 15 jours depuis 1901; la
1" ann6e, 1901, a paru en annexe au Bulletin du service de santi et de I'hygiene pub-

Bulletin

du

alimentaires.

Introduction k VAnnuaire sanitaire de la Belgique (Situation au

1<"

Janvier 1912)

Bruxelles, 1913.

Enseignement.
Etat de I'instruction supirieure en Belgique.
legislatives, le 6 avril 1843,

par

M. Nothomb,

Rapport pr6sent6 aux Chambres

Ministre de I'lnterieur.

P^riodes

1794-1814, 1814-1830, 1830-1835, 1835-1843, 1844, 2 volumes.

Rapport sur la situation des universitSs de I'Etat. Rapport annuel aux Chambres
en execution de I'article 30 de la loi du 27 septembre 1835 sur I'enseignement supfirieur.
Annees 1836 k 1848.
Etat de I'instruction supirieure donnie aux frais de I'Etat. Premier rapport
triennal presents aux Chambres legislatives. Annfies 1849-1852.
1854, 1 volume.
Situation de I'enseignement supirieur donni aux frais de I'Etat. Rapport triennal

pr&ent^ aux Chambres

legislatives (Minist^re des Sciences et des Arts)

Piriode

1853-1855 et suivantes.
1830-1842. Rapport pr6sent6 aux
1 mars 1843, par M. Nothomb, Ministre de I'lnterieur.
Precede d'un expose de la legislation anterieure k 1830 et suivi du texte des lois,
Etat de I'instruction moyenne en Belgique.

Chambres

legislatives, le

arrfitfe et circulaires

Id.

1842-1848.

de 1815 k 1842.

1843, 1 volume.

Rapport pr&ente

le

Rapport triennal sur

Chambres

I'itat

20 juin 1849.

1849, 1 volume.

de I'enseignement moyen en Belgique.

legislatives (Ministere des Sciences et des Arts).

Pr6sent6 aux

Periodes 1852-1854

(1=) et suivantes.

Etat de I'instruction primaire en Belgique, 1830-1840.

Rapport d^cennal prd-

28 Janvier 1842, par M. le Ministre de I'lnterieiu".

Precede d'un expose de la legislation anterieure k 1830 et suivi du texte des lois,
1842, 1 volume.
arrStes et circulaires de 1814 a 1840.
sente aux

Chambre legislatives,

Rapport triennal sur

aux Chambres
1845

le

la situation de I'instruction primaire en Belgique.

(1) et suivantes.

Recensement des iUves des itablissements d'instruction moyenne

Presents

Periodes 1843-

legislatives (Ministere des Sciences et des Arts).

I'inspection ligale

au 31 dicembre 1873,

Rapport sur I'enseignement induMriel

et

primaire, soumis

volume.

et

professionnel presente

aux Chambres

BELGIUM

169

par le Ministre de rint^rieur. Annfe 1861-62 k 1865-66. 1867, 1

volume.
Rapport suT I'&tat de V enseignement industriel el prcfessionnel, pr&ent^ le 23 Janvier 1879. 1879, 1 volume.
Rapport sur la situation de V enseignement industriel et professionnel, pr^sent^ aux
Chambres legislatives par le Ministre de rAgriculture, de I'lndustrie et des Travaux
publics.
Annies 1880-84. 1886, 1 volume..
Id.
par le Ministre de I'lndustrie et du Travail. Annfes 1884-96. 1897, 1
volume.
Rapport sur la situation de V enseignement technique en Belgique. Annies 1897-

legislatives

1903, 2 volumes.
Rapport gin^al sur la situation de

1901.

1902-1910.

Rapport sur I'Mat de

par

le

I'

enseignement technique en Belgique.

Annies

1912, 2 volumes.
I'

enseignement agricole, pr^sente aux Chambres legislatives

Ministre de I'lnterieur.

Annuel pour

Situation de V enseignement agricole.

les

annees 1861 k 1863.

Rapport

triennal.

P^riodes

1864-66 &

1888-90.
Situation de V enseignement vMSrinaire

rAgricidture et des Travaux publics).

Cooperation.

fipAKGNE.

et

et agricole.

Rapport triennal (Ministfere de

Periodes 1891-93 et suivantes.

Prevotance.

Compte rendu prSsentS au Conseil d' administration de la Caisse g&nirale d'ipargne

de retraite. 15 septembre 1865, 31 decembre 1865 et 1866, puis volume annuel

jusqu'en 1884.
de

Compte rendu des operations et de

retraite.
Annuel depuis 1885.

la situation de la Caisse gSnirale de d'Spargne et

Situation de la Caisse gSndrale d'Spargne

Mensuelle, publiee au Moniteur

et

de retraite sous la garantie de I'Etai.

beige.

Les soeiMSs cooperatives en Belgique, 1873-1910 (Ministere de I'lndustrie et du

1911,

Travail).

un volume.

Caisses de prhoyance enfaveur des ouvriers mineurs.

(Ministire de I'lndustrie et

du

Travail).

1" annee,

Examen annual des comptea

1846 pour

les

annees 1840 k

1846; annuel depuis 1877.

Rapport sur la Caisse de prSvoyance

et

de secours enfaveur des victimes des accidents

du travail (Ministere des Finances)

Annuel, public au Moniteur beige.
Coup d'ceil sur le nombre et la situation des socUMs de secours mutuels en Belgique
au 31 d6cemhre 1860; suivi du texte de la loi du 3 avril 1851 et de I'arrfite royal
du 6 octobre 1852, et de I'etat nominatif de ces societ^s par province (Commission
permanente des societ^s de secours mutuels). 1864, 1 volume.
Rapport sur les comptes. (Commission permanente des societes de secours muAnnees 1852 k 1860.
tuels).
Rapport sur la situation des sociStSs de secours mutuels, presente par la Commission
permanente des societes de secours mutuels. Un volume annuel de 1861 k 1871,
.

puis les annees, 1872-1873, 1874-76, 1877-78, 1879, 1880-82, 1883-85, 1886-87,

1888

90.

Les rapports pour 1870, 1871, 1872-73, sont suivis d'un coup d'ceil sur
consommation en Belgique et d

la situation des banques populaires et des sodStis des

I' Stranger

Belgique.

et

de quelques considSrations ginirales sur la situation de la classe ouvriire en

MEMORIAL VOLUME

170

Rapport sur la situation dea

sociStSs mutualistes

sent au Ministre de I'lndustrie et

pendant

du Travail par

la

les

annSes 1891-95, pr4-

Commission permanente dea

soci^t^s mutualistes. 1897, 1 volmne.

Rapport Ae la Commission permanente des soeiMis mutualistes pour la pSriode 18961906, 1 volume.

1905.

Justice.

Bientaisance.

Staiistique des tribunaux de la Belgique

1829 et 1830, par

1 volume.

Compte de

l'

MM.

pendant

les

annto

1826, 1827, lS28i

A. Quetelet et Ed. Smits. 2 publication

administration de la justice

civile

officielle.

en Belgique, pr6sent

1833.

au Roi par

le

Ministre de la Justice.

Annies judiciaires 1832-1833 k 1835-1836 (1 vol. en 1837); 1836-1837 k 18381839 (1 vol. en 1840); 1839-1840 k 1842-1843 1 vol. en 1845).
Compte de
par

le

l'

administration de la justice criminelle en Belgique, pr^sent^

au Roi

Ministre de la Justice.

Annfes 1831 k 1834

en 1843); 1840 k 1843

(1 vol.

en 1835); 1835

(1 vol.

en 1849).

(1 vol.

en 1839); 1836 k 1839

(1 vol.

Administration de la justice criminelle et civile de la Belgique. R4sum4 staiistique.

Annies 1841-1850 (1 vol. en 1852. Extrait de I'ExposS dScennal de la situation du
royaume); 1851-1860 (1 vol. en 1865. Extrait de YExposi dScennal de la situation
du royaume); 1861-1867 (1 vol. en 1873); 1868-1875 (1 vol. en 1878); 1876-1880
(1 vol. en 1883); 1881-1885 (1 vol. en 1888); 1886-1897 (1 vol. en 1898).
Staiistique judiciaire de la Belgique.

(Minist^re de la Justice.)

Annuelle depuis

1898, 1" annte.

Staiistique des prisons de la Belgique.
(1 vol.

1860

en 1852.

(1 vol.

Periode 1841-1850, par

M. Ed. Ducp^tiaux

Extrait de VExposS dScennal de la situation du royaume); 1851-

en 1864).

Staiistique des prisons de la Belgique.

P&iode 1851-1855 (1 vol. en 1857.

les soins du D^partement de

Extrait des Documents statistiques publics par

rint^rieur)

Rapport prSsentS au Ministre de la Justice par I'Administrateur de la S-O/reti pubet des prisons, le SI dScembre 1869.
Staiistique des prisons et dea Hahlissementa phiitentiairea et de r^orme pour I'anne
1875. Rapport pr^sentfi au Ministre de la Justice par M. Berden. 1877, 2 vol.
Id. pour les annees 1876 et 1877, 1879, 1 volume.
Staiistique des prisons et des maisons spSdales de rlforme, pour les ann^ 1878,

lique

1879 et 1880.
1

Rapport pr&entfi au Ministre de la Justice par M. A. Gautier.

1884,

volume.

Rapport de

la

Commission sup$rieure d'inspection dea Stablissements

ann^e 1862.
du 18 novembre 1851.

iostituee par arrSte royal

d'aliinis,

Rapport de la Commission permanente d'inspection des Hahlissements d'alUnis,

du 17 mars 1853. 2", 1853-1864; 3, 1864-1855; 4", 1856;

institute par arrgt6 royal

1867-1858; 6=, 1869; 7. 1860; 8", 1862; 9, 1863-1865.

Rapport sur la situation des Hahlissements d^aliinSa. 10", 1866-1871; 11', 18741876; 12, 1877-1881; pr&ent& par V.-A. Oudart, inspecteur general. 13, 18831892, presente par le Ministre de la Justice.
Ecolea de rSforme de Ruysselede. Rapport fait per le Minbtre de la Justice, con5,

BELGIUM
form^ment aux prescriptions de I'art. 9 de
Chambres legislatives le 23 Janvier 1850.

171

la loi

du 3

avril 1848, et

i rapport sur la situation

Ecole de riforme de Ruysaelede.

de

pr^entl aux

I'Scole agricole

de

r4forme de Ruysselede pendant Tannic 18S0.

Id.

S' annfie, 1861.

Scales agricoles de r^orme de Ruysselede

et

de

Beemem.

i' rapport sur la situa-

tion des Icoles de reforme pendant I'annle 1832.

Id.

5'.

1853;

6,

1854;

7,

1855;

8.

1856;

9,

1867; 10, 1868; 11", 1839; 12,

1860.

au profit des Stablissements religieux et charitables pour

Rapport au Roi du Mimstre de la Justice du 25 mai 1830.
Id. poiu" les annes 1850 k 1853. Rapport du 6 mars 1854.
Staiistique des hospices et des bureaux de bienfaisance d'apr^ les budgets de I'ex-

Statistique des lib$raliMs

les

annes 1831 a 1849.

(Ministere de la Justice.)

ercice 1853, 1 volume.

Commerce.
Tableau ghiSral du commerce de la Belgique avec les pays Strangers pendant les
annes 1831, 1832, 1833 et 1834, dressi et public par le Ministre de I'lntlrieur.
1" publication officielle, 1836, 1 volume. Successivement 7 publications oScielIes

dont la demi^re, publie en 1842, comprend la statistique de I'annle 1840.

Relmi du commerce de la Belgique avec les pays it/rangers pendant I'annte 1840,
public par le Ministre des Finances (Publication prliminaire). 1841, 1 volume.
Tableau ghUral du commerce de la Belgique avec les pays Hrangers. (Ministere
des Finances) Annuel depuis 1841.

Tableau du mouvement commercial de la Belgique avec les pays Hrangers, en ce qui

annee 1840, jusqu'en 1895 inclusiveles principales marchandises.

conceme

ment (Ministere des Finances.

Annexe au Moniteur

beige).

Mensuel.

Tableau mensuel du commerce special de la Belgique avec les pays Hrangers, en ce

anne, 1896 (Ministere des Finances.
qui conceme les principales marchandises.

Annexe au Moniteur beige). Fait suite au tableau precedent.

Statistique du commerce special de la Belgique avec la France, la Grande-Bretagne
et rirlande, les Pays-Bas et I'Union douanihe aUemande en 1908 et 1909, examine
au point de vue de I'origine et du degri d'ach^vement des produits changs. 1911,
(Ministere de I'lndustrie et du Travail.)
1 volume.
Finances.
Budgets annuels des

recettes et des

dipenses (Ministere des Finances).

Compte ghdral de V Administration des Finances rendu pour I'annle 1830 par

le

Ministre des Finances.

Cmnpte rendu des

recettes et des

Annuel pour

d^penses du Boyaume.

les

annes

1831 k 1849.

Compte ghUral de V Administration des Finances. Annuel depuis I'annle 1860.

et iS de la loi du 16 mai
Compte rendu par les ministres, en exScution des articles
18iS, sur la comptabilitS de I'Etat. Annuel depuis I'exercice 1848.
Situation gHSrale du Triaor Public au 1" Janvier. (Ministfere des Finances.)
(Ministere des
Statistique des recettes et des dSpenses du Royaume de Belgique.
Finances.) 1840-1865, 1 volume; 1840-1870, 1 volume; 1840-1876, 1 volume;
1840-1880, 1 volume; 1840-1885, 1 volume; 1840-1890, 1 volume; 1840-1896,

volume.

MEMORIAL VOLUME

172

Lot de comptes (MinistAre des Finances).

hi apportani des modifications d, la Ugislation sur la contribution personaux Icris Slectorales coordonnSes Tableaux statistiques. (Miniature des Finances.)
1879, 1 volume.
RelevS, par commune, des maisons imposies h la contribution fonciere au 1" Janvier
Projet de

nelle et

Present^ par le Ministre des Finances k la Chambre des Reprfsentants en

annexe au document n 261 de la session 1890-1891. 1891, 1 volume.
Etat comparatif du produit des impots directs et indirects (trimestriel) public au
Moniteur beige (Minist^re des Finances).

1891.

Statistigue comparative des octrois

eommunaux de Belgique pendant les annSes 1828,

1829,1885 et 1836, publiee par le Ministre de I'lnterieur et des Affaires 6trang6res.

1839, 1 volume.
Rapport sur les octrois eommunaux de Belgigue, pr^sente 4. la Chambre des Reprfisentants, le 28 Janvier 1845, par M. Nothomb, Ministre de I'lnterieur. 1845, 2
tomes en 5 volumes.
Rapport du Commissaire des Monnaies au Ministre des Finances. Annuel depuis
1900.

Rapport sur
Annuel.

les

operations de la Caisse d'amortissement, des dSpdts

et

consignations.

et

consignations

(Ministere des Finances.)

Situation de la Caisse d'amortissement

(semestrielle) publiee

Bilan

et

compte des

au Moniteur

et

de la Caisse des dSpots

beige (Ministere des Finances).

profits et pertes de la

Banque Nationale de Belgique

(semestriels)

publie au Moniteur beige.

Situation de la

Banque Nationale de Belgique (hebdomadaire) publiee au Moniteur

beige.
et employes oivils de I'Etat avec
de leurs traitements (Ministere des Finances).

Tableau statistigue des magistrals, forictionnaires

indication de la

somme

Novembre

1" Janvier 1859, 1" Janvier 1865, 1870, 1876, 1880, 1885, 1890,

1855,

totale

1897, 1901, 1906, 1911.

Les magistrats n'y sent compris que depuis 1885.

Agbicultube.
Agriculture.

Reeensement g&niral (15 octobre 1846), public par

4 volumes.

le

Ministre de

I'lnterieur, 1850,

Id.

Resumes par arrondissements

Id.

decembre 1856), 1862, 1 volume.

(31 decembre 1866), 1871, 1 volume.
de 1880, publie par le Ministre de I'Agriculture, de I'lndustrie et des Travaux

Id.
Id.

et par provinces.

1850, 1 volume.

(31

publics, 1885, 1 volume.

Id.

de 1895, public par

le

Ministre de I'Agriculture et des Travatix publics,

1898-1900, 4 volumes, partie analytique et un atlas.

Id.
1

de 1910, publie par le Ministre de I'Agriculture et des Travaux publics, 1914,

volume paru.
Reeensement agricole (Ministere de I'Agriculture et des Travaux publics) (annuel),

annees 1900 a 1910.

Bulletin de I'agricuUure, publie en execution de I'arrgte royal

Tome

1,

1885, h

Bulletin de

du 16

juillet 1885.

tome XXIII, 1907.

V administration de

du 31 decembre 1907.

Tome 1,

I'agricuUure, publie

1908, a

en execution de

tome IV, 1911

(juin).

I'arrete royal

3"

MEMORIAL VOLUME

174

fournis par les Conseils de I'lndustrie et

rindustrie et des Travaux publics).

Bulletin de I'mspection

du

du Travail (MinistSre de

de

I'Agriculture,

1892, 1 volume.

Publication mensuelle dont

travail.

annees (1894 et 1895) fonuent un recueil special et qui, depuis

a 6t& incorpore dans la Revue du travail.
Rapports annuels de I'inspection du

travail, publics

le

les

2 premieres

1" Janvier 1896,

par TOffice du Travail.

1"

anne, 1895.

Revue du

travail,

publiee par I'OflSce

bimensuelle depuis 1906.

Travail

du

Mensuelle de 1896 k 1906 et

Travail.

Edition flamande: Arbeidsblad depuis 1896.

du dimanche, public par

I'OflSce

du Travail 1896-1898. 5 volumes.

Vol. X: tude statistique des

Les Industries d. domicile en Belgique 1899-1909.

families ouvriferes

comprenant des ouvriers k domicile. 1909, 1 volume. (9

et 1 volume contenant la bibliographie de la matifere.)

vol-

umes de monographies

Bulletin de I'Office des classes moyennes, plus tard Bulletin de I'Office des mMiers

Publication trimestrieUe.

n&goces.

et

1" ann6e, 1907.

Enquite sur la piche maritime en Belgique.

Litroduction. Recensement de la pSche maritime.
Etude teonomique de la p6che maritime.
Etude sociale de la pfiche maritime.

I.

II.

III.

Statistique des salairea

1

dans

les

mines de houiUe (octobre 1896-mai 1900). 1901,

volume.
Salaires dans I'industrie gantoise.
I.

1902-1904, 2 volumes:

Industrie cotonni^re;

II. Industrie

Salairea

et

de la filature du

durSe du travail dans

lin.

les industries textiles

au mois d'octobre 1901.

1905, 1 volume.
Salaires

et

durh du

travail

dans

les industries

des milaux

au mois d'octobre 1903.

1907, 2 volumes.
Statistique

des grkes en Belgique.

Mines.

1896-1900.

1903, 1 volume; 1901-1905.

1911, 1 volume.

1907, 1 volume; 1896-1910.

Statistique des accidents survenus

dans les puits durant la ptriode de 1860 d

1879, 1 volume.

Rapport relatif & I' execution de la loi du 31 mars 1898 sur les unions professionnelUs
pendant les annes 1898-1901. Pr&ent^ aux Chambres Legislatives par le Ministre
de rindustrie et du Travail. 1904, 1 volume.
Id.
anuses 1902-1904. 1907, 1 volume.
1911, 1 volume.
Id. annfes 1905-1907.
Statistique des distributions d'inergie ilectrique en 1908.
Statistique des accidents

du

travail

(annte 1906).

1909, 1 volume.

2 volumes, 1912.

Transports. Chemeus de per. Etc. Travatjx Publics.

Annales des travaux publics en Belgique. ^Mtooires, chroniques et comptes

rendus d'ordre technique, administratif et statistique concemant les travaux publics,

du pays

et de l'6tranger.

Paraissent tons les deux mois depuis 1843 en fascicules de 200 pages illustrfes,

avec planches hors texte.

Renseignements statistiques recueillis par

1851-1855.
Id.,

1857, 1 volume.

1856 a 1867.

le

D6partement des Travaux

publics,

BELGIUM
Routes etb&timentsmmla.

175

TravauxhydravMquei.

Chemins de fer en

construction.

Compte rendu des operations pendant ann^es 1880 et 1881.

Chemins vicinaux.Rapport adress^ au Ministre de
les

I'lnt^rieur sur I'inspection

de chemins vicinaux des provinces de Limbouig, de Hainaut et de Brabant,

op&r^e pendant I'ann^ 1851 par Bug. Bidaut, ing^nieur en chef. Un volume prsent6 aux Chambres legislatives en stance du 3 f^vrier 1852.
Carte figurative de V importance du roulage sur les routes de I'Etai en Belgique en
1879 (Minist^ie des Travaux publics).
Album du dhdoppement progressif du r&seau des routes de 1830 & 1880. 7 planches.

Publi6 en 1880 (Ministere des Travaux

publics).

StatisHque du nwuvement des transports sur

pendant

le

navigables de la Belgique

les voies

second semestre de 1879 (Ministere des Travaux publics).

1 carte.

Recueil descriptif et statistique des voies natdgables de la Belgique.

volume

et

1880, 2 volumes

(Ministere des Travaux publics).

Album du

dSveloppement progressif du riseau des voies navigables de 1830 & 1880.

7 planches.

Public en 1880 (Ministere des Travaux publics).

Album statistique des recettes et des dipensesfaites par I'Etat pour les voies navigables
de la Belgique de 1830 & 1880 (Ministere des Travaux publics).
Notice descriptive

et statistique

des installations maritimes de la Belgique.

1880

(Ministere des Travaux publics).

DiagrammiB figuralif du mouvement des transports sur

les voies navigables

de la

Belgique en 1885 (Ministere des Travaux publics).

Carte figurative du mouvement des transports sur

navigables de la Belgique

les voies

en 1893 (Miniature des Travaux publics).

Carte statistique de la navigation inUrieure sur
et

des pays limitrophes en 1910.

les voies

navigables de la Belgique

(Dresste par I'Ecole Saint-Jacques des Bateliers

Namur.)
Chemins de fer de VEtat. Compte rendu des opiralions. ^Rapports des 4 aoftt
1835, 1" mars 1837, 26 octobre 1837, 26 novembre 1838, et 12 novembre 1839.
Annuel depuis 1840.
On y a compris successivement le compte rendu des operations des t^lfigraphes
depuis 1850, des postes depuis 1867 (le rapport pour 1867 donne un apergu des
operations depuis 1830), la marine depuis 1873 (I'annee 1873 comprend quelques
if.

developpements

retrospectifs), les telephones depuis 1883.

Carte figurative de la circulalion des grosses marchandises sur les lignes de I'Etat,

pendant I'annSe 1879 (Ministere des Travaux publics).

1 feuille.

Dheloppement du mmivement postal en Belgique. Nombre des lettres privees,

des cartes postales, des joumaux et imprimes expedies atmuellement par la poste
aux lettres. 1884, 1 feuille.
CoiiOim:

DU Congo Belge.
du Congo. 1* annee, 1885; devenu:
k partir du 15 novembre 1908.
colonial.
Annexe au Bulletin offidel de I'Etat InMpend-

Bulletin offidel de I'Etat Indipendant

Bulletin offidel

du Congo

Renseignements de
ant du Congo.

1"

I'Offi^e

beige

annee 1907.

Annexe au Bulletin

offidel

devenu:

du Congo Beige k partir du 15 novembre 1908

Renseignements de I'Office colonial {publication spSdale) k partir du I" Janvier 1911.