SummaryOrder—Disorder—Statistics1.Disorder in statistics, which is orderly in virtue of its function, will always occur, since it is the work of men.2.What statistics are useful depends on the Social‐historical period in which we live. A source of disorder may be the continuance of statistical investigations that belong to former periods.In our century the available means for socio‐economic statistics should be used in the first place for statistics which are serviceable for systematic planning.3.Nowadays the importance of statistics for this planning is overestimated. It is not given to man to predict the future with certainty. Also statistics depend on experience, on what is happening empirically. Taking decisions with regard to systematic planning and bearing the risks involved in beyond the scope of the stati