[Rezension zu:] Richard Calwer, Das Wirtschaftsjahr 1908; Das Wirtschaftsjahr 1909. Jahresbericht über den Wirtschafts- und Arbeitsmarkt. Erster Teil: Handel und Wandel

Emil Lederer’s review of Richard Calwer’s Das Wirtschaftsjahr 1908 and Das Wirtschaftsjahr 1909 (1912)

Emil Lederer’s short review assesses two annual statistical reports, each comprising the “Handel und Wandel” part of Calwer’s continuing survey of economic and labour-market conditions. Its central judgment combines appreciation for the systematic gathering of available data with a methodological objection: inadequate source documentation limits their scholarly usefulness.

Lederer first maps the reports’ coverage, from production and cartels through employment, strikes and lockouts, agriculture, industrial sectors, finance, trade and transport to income, consumption and prices. Each volume closes with an overview of economic legislation, a chronological record of significant events and an index. This breadth supports his assessment of Calwer’s achievement:

Wie immer wird in diesen Publikationen Calwers auch diesmal alles registriert, was für die wirtschaftliche Signatur des betreffenden Jahres erheblich ist und quantitativ erfaßt wurde.

English translation: As always in these publications of Calwer's, everything is registered this time too that is of significance for the economic signature of the year in question and has been ascertained quantitatively.

The qualification matters: the reports capture what has been measured, not the economy in its entirety. Lederer notes that absent production statistics force many industries to be represented indirectly through coal and pig-iron figures, whereas mining offers more complete data. He distinguishes these deficiencies in the statistical infrastructure from the compiler’s responsibility:

Es ist nicht des Verf. Schuld, daß wir noch immer über keine Lohn-, keine Produktions-, nur sehr mangelhafte Preis- und Konsumstatistiken verfügen; umso wichtiger ist es, hier alles vorhandene Material bereits gesichtet zu finden.

English translation: It is not the author's fault that we still have no wage statistics, no production statistics, and only very defective price and consumption statistics; all the more important is it to find all the available material here already sifted.

The review then turns from availability to usability. Lederer regrets the near-universal absence of source references, both because researchers may need to verify the figures and because Calwer’s scope and grouping do not necessarily suit other investigations. His criticism thus goes beyond checking accuracy: scholarly reuse requires access to the sources behind an arrangement of data. The review’s significance lies in this compact distinction between a valuable statistical compilation and the documentation needed to make it fully serviceable for independent research.