The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-11-08

Er Edjtor.-There has been so much said
about the school census recently taken, that it
seems necessary that something more should be
said in order that the public may not labor un-
der misrepresentation, nor the Committee suffer
unjust aspersion.
First the argus published statement said
to have been based ON information, in which
the impression was conveyed that in some
demanded manner, a very imperfect census
had been taken at an exhorbitant compensa-
ton, stating it at a sum $25 more than was
really paid
Thereupon the Advertiser published the fol-
lowing comment:
And now it seems that in order to give man
a job certain member of the School Commit
tee had a census of the school children taken
for $3.50, that was so imperfect that another
member of the committee saw its defects at
glance and now $3.50 more will probably have
to be spent to take another one.
And then in its issue of Wednesday makes
the following statements:
We are informed that we reflected upon a
member of the School Committee by the state
ment thai the taking of the census was a put
up job on the part of the committee to give a
man work, The true story is said to be this:
Mr. Charles f. Libby experienced great diff
Guilty in making his annual report, through the
inaccuracies in the census, by which names of
children, and their ages, had been omitted. He
therefore introduced an order to the effect that
a census of school children be taken with the
number in each family, age, name and sex. A
committee of three, consisting of MeSsrs. Lib
by, Blanchard and Holden, were appointed to
receive bids for taking this census, and they
awarded the contract to bidder whose report
differed materially from what was expected.
Thus one member of the committee found that
none of his own children had been registered,
or those of some of his neighbors. This is
what some other members of the School Com
mttee say and we give their version of the af-
fair. 1t may seem from the above that we had
intended to reflect upon Mr.. Libby which
would be absurd
The real facts are these-the school census
heretofore required by the laws Of the State
only called for simple count of numbers be-
tween the ages of four and twenty-one years.
The difficulty which Mr.. Libby encountered
last spring in writing the annual report was
want of statistics by which to exhibit certain
facts necessary to place our school system in its
proper light before the general public; and af-
ter completing his labors, took an early oppor-
tunity to bring the matter to the attention of
the whole Board by the introduction of an or
der requiring the census to be taken in such
manner as should not only give the whole num-
Der of school children, but should also give sea-
age, nationality, residence and the school attend
that this system would diminish the number as
heretofore given, from the very fact that it
would furnish ready means of detecting and
correcting all errors of count liable to the for
mer imperfect method.
The gentlemen named by the Advertiser were
appointed committee, with instructions to
prepare necessary blank books and contract
with some one to take the census on the pro-
posed plan, at a cost not exceeding $500. Two
parties offered their services, one at $3.50, the
other at 1925. The committee selected the lat
ter and reported their action to the Board,
which was approved.
In due course of time the work was complet-
ed and the results neatly copied into book for
that purpose reported to the Board at their
last regular meeting.
That such work should be performed with
out an error of either omission or commission
would it seems to as, be expecting too much;
that there are no considerable errors we are con-
fident, two only having yet been discovered,
though the subcommittee having the matter
in charge requested members of the Board to
notify them of all errors discovered in order
that the proper correction might be made. 1t
is believed that the work has been well and
faithfully done, and no defect or errors yet dis
coved rendering any one connected Herewith
worthy of censure. R.