The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-08-02
The Late German Ccnsus.

The Late German Census.
The Inst census OF the German empire,
taken December |, 1873. was conducted
after n now method. The tabulated report
which has now been published presents the
results Of that experiment, rs well rs other
impressive features Of social aud political
sign fcance.
This is the first time that the Italian pro-
cess Of recension, by which n descriptive
card is allotted to each Individual instead
of to each house or family, has been APP
piled throughout tho German empire.
The advantages of this plan We're COM
pletely demonstrated. Although for IN
fants and illiterute persons the minutes OF
the census tlker must still be furnished by
third persons, IL IL found that inquiries
are upon the whole more fully aud nccu-
rately answered. But the chief IN arit OF
the new system Is the wonderful despatch
and facility secured to the labor Of tabula-
ton. Instead of each specific detail beng
Transcribed by hand. entailing. OF course.
an enormous amount OF quill driving anu
computation, II particular fact, as for in
stance the number of factory hands in a
given district, Is instantly determined by
weight, all the cards relating to tn sub
Ject being thrown upon nicely adjusted
scales. The ratio Of error, too, by tn spro-
cess is less than under the Old scheme of
enumeration. We need not poiut out that
the usefulness OF reocnsious il in direct
proportion to their frequency. ami that
this Italian method, by reducing expenses
10 minimum, may pave the way to an
annual census.
Such lessons. however. "a may be gather
ed from statistics are cIs.ly Il ,luccl for
Germany, where "A census has three beta
taken, at regular intervals W ithi ! ten years
During the first quadreunium. which began
with the returns for Dec. TO- lSj7, the cDun-
try was still suffering from the con.e-
quenccs Of the war with Austria, and had
subscq ucntly, IN the Franco Pcussial CON
test, to sustain the temporary deduction
from her productive capacity of a million
able-bodied men. besides the perm nent
loss. through death, OF ninety thousand.
As might have boon cxpsc'cl, the census
OF Dec. l, 1871. showed IA trivial rate of in-
crease for the preceding period, aiuoLnt-
ing To no more than 9j!0)0. or about half
OF one per cent. n year. At that tima the
total population of the States composing
the German empire was f1rty-one mil
lions and some sixty thousand.
AS those four years were dlrkenel by
war. SO the term which has just closed with
the statistics for December 1873, has been
an era OF financial crisis and protracted
commercial depression. After an unplr-
allelod expansion Of speculation during
the first two years OF the latter period. The
panic OF 1873 put summary stop to every
species of enterprise, deprived mlnuftc-
lures Of capital aud workmen OF employ
mcnt According to the organs of the
Berlin Stock Exchange, the ,rman people
had been reluced to unhcard-o of straits
and the most untoward exhibit was pre-
dcted from the new census. The returns
however, show nothing OF the kind. but
quite the contrary. The population of the
German empire has been augme ntel since
December 1871, by one million seven hun
dred and fifty thousand, which Is equivalent
to mean annual gam OF rather more than
one per cent 1t is doubtless true that tins
remarkable increase Is partly due TO the
vast shrnkage OF emigration, ana IT is also
probable that a failure of resources has
occasioned a falling of in the number OF
visible IN the next period. In spite, how
ever, of these qualifications, we must CON
cude, IN view Of the statistics oitel. thai
the severity OF the commercial crisis in
Germany has been grossly exaggerated
This Inference is confirmed by "A glance
| at the figures. which announce the progress
| Of particular States and provinces. Thus
| the departments of Prussia, where the gain
IN population Is most signal "a IN West
| phalla, the Rhine province, aud Brduden-
| burg, which includes Berlin are precisely
| those most conspicuous for the develop
ment Of manufacturing aud commercial
enterprise. An apparent exception to this
rule IN bavaria, whore the district which
contains the capital has advanced more
rapidly than the palatinate, notwithstan d.
| ing tine Iatter's preulnnence as a pro iuc-
| tive centre, is explained no. only by the
! great influx to Munich from all parts of
! tho Kingdom, but by cdrioli oircum-
stance IN the history OF the last-namet
| province, IL appears that since WILLIAM
| Penn settled a colony from tho Pa latlnate
on the Delaware, the relations of the
mother land with her O1shOot have been
30 close, aud the custom OF seliing forth
numbers of her young mon to JON their
| knsfolk in Pennsylvania has grown to be
so iuveterate, that the arrest of emigration
so decisive elsewhere throughout Germany
is here scarcely perceptible.
The assertion OF JOHS STUART MILL that
the means Of supporting the burdens OF
hfe must diminish for the laborng class
with the subdivision OF the soil aud tle
increase in tho number OF Inhabitants, is
not fully vndicatod by the results Of the
German census. We are rather impelled
70 formulate the CQnoluslon TINT the prog.