New-York tribune., 1879-11-12
THE CENSUS OF NEXT YEAR.

STATISTICS - BE GATH 'Rfn-HOW THE WoEk WILL
BE CoNDUCTED-THE COsr AND the REsuLis
HOPED FOR.
1t is expected that within few days, the Sccre-
tary Of the Interior will announce the supervisors
districts tor the purposes OF the census OF 1850 Inc
United States Will he divided into about 100 dis
trcts each of which will he divided by the supervI
sor in charge of it into appropriate enumeration
districts. subject to the approval of the Department
at Washington and fit persons will be chosen Tor
enumcratoTs. The supervisors themselves cannot be
appointed before tie assembling of Congress In De-
cembcr, as the nominations have to be regularly
confirmed by the Senate. A. the new census is ex-
pected TO change materially the representation in-
Congress. giving larger proportion of members 10
the West. which has grown in population during
the past decade and the statistics to be obtained
Tor the first time under the present scheme VIII De
an important factor in deciding such questions as
the fisheries dispute with Canada. the metbodsehn-
ployed and the results anticipated are matters OF
much interest to the public.
General Francis A. Walker. the Superintendent
of the Census. recently gave TRIBUNE reporter an
account of the arrangements Le has made for taxing
the census. He said; 1--WE expect to complete the
work within the single month of june 1880. and
shallll employ about 10000 persons to do it, There
Will he two distinct departments of the census;
First, the enumeration proper which includes the
count of the population, with the ordinary social
and vital statistics. Originally the was only
for the purpose of determining political representa-
tiOn, and each household was reported as "A unit,
with its members roughly classified, not even
names and ages being taken; but the law OF looV
gave n wider scope to the work, and called Tor the
name, age, sex, color, place of birth, occupatlon'
ability to read and write and FORTH of each per-
son. These constitute the main labor of the census
aud its most valuable results. In other countries
where popular representation is not involved these
form the only purpose OF q c'nsus. Ihls was the
first country to lstitute ,.tIodical census, be-
ginning IN 179O England following in 1sO1."
"Is it not unusual TO do this work in so short
time as one month";
Eyes And in the large cities 1t will bo done In
two weeks, thus reducing the errors arising from
omission or duplication. Heretofore. while the
enumeration has had reference to a single day,
namely the lst of June of every tenth year. 1t has
been extended over period OF five monthso or longer
The consequence has been that, through their NOV
ing about many persons nave been counted twice,
while others have not been counted at all. The an
nual migations during the last twenty years, from
North to South and from East to West, have been a
source Of considerable error. So also has the habit
of going into the country in the Summer. Places
that In December contain two or three hundred
But at best, Il is next TO impossible entirely 10
AVOID duplication. The place where man belongs
H. one of the most difficult items the euumeratOH
have 10 deal with. The census machinery Is not
fitted to do work requiring nice discrimination.
Where the work T. spread over so long time as hNe
months, the most complete arrangements would IAN
10 prevent error, when so many opportunities are
Hsrei bY TIE rapidly increasing summer mlsIa-
ton. In the Summer people leave the South 0y
hundreds OF thousands, Whi!e cltles All over tue
country at that season very inadcquatcly repre-
ftf. y
time the cnumeratoI comes around, is theoretically
uuimuortant, "a none are taken WHO born after
III. LAT hut The law Of 1870 required the date of
birth 10 be taken. and eliminated even thai error
which IN the aggregate amounted To many tfons-
auds. and cons ituted a distinct blcmsh, Ia making
comparisons with other censuses erroneous. Ihe
rapid count also eliminates error from deaths us
well births after Tie day rom winch the census
On what plan are the enumorating districts do
termined
suce in the present census. These districts are to
BE- formed by tho Department of the Interior with
,fcrcnce to the eXigencies OF The enumerauOn. In
1850 the districts wcrc the same as tho Judicial
Districts which had no reference 20 facility for
counting the population. For instance, in 1870
district contained O,OOO inhabitauts, and another
25OO,OOO. Now, also, for the first time the super
vsIng officers 10 be selected with special refer
cncc 10 tLeir II, mess Tor thS WORK Formerly the
United States Marslals performed That duty, al
though appointed tor altogether different purposes"
Are the supervisors TO be paid As experts T.
"Ih,y are To receive 5000 each, in igl for SER
Woes and expenses. Allowance for clerk hre may
he made al ihe discretion ol tie Department at
" nat viii the cnumcrators recelyep
"Ihelr compensation viii bo fixed by the Depart
lnont according TO circumstances. In 1880 II was
-.... vi .-...... C sssiis
by a single fixed rule, derived by complicated
mat hematical formula from fe pOpu atOn and area
of the On tlcl without reference 70 the character oI
lie country. This worked uuJus-ly, aud some men
made 3 o a dav as easily as others made - or S3
and the quality O. the WORK varied IN consequence
Ihe enumeratoig, after accepting tier appoint
ments Will be subject TO penalty II they withdraw
the work being Oi the lng est political Importance
The law of 1879 requires them 10 be appointed
without reference TO party. Under the present pan
there will be eleven superN isOrs districts IN New
York, ten in Pennsylvania, and tho remainder will
be divided among the other states according 10 the
necessities Of the service.
The other general department of tho work en-
braces the collection OF the statistics OF mauutao
lures agriculture, mining fishing interests. and So
cia statistics such ~ taxation. wealth. public IN
dcbte0ness, Libraries, chulcheS SCHOOLS; newspa-
uers, paupers aud crimes, insanity, and SO forth.
these DO not strictly pertain TO census, and IN
other countries are obtained through different agen-
cics But with Us they have been required since
1880 The act OF 1879 enlarged the scope still
more and included tie operations OF railroads, ire
and life Insurance. telegraph and express companies
and other institutions. IL also provided for the EN-
ployment Of experts In these different departments
"a provision OF the utmost Importance, which can
not fail results of tar greater completeness
and accuracy than heretofore. Grossly Inadequate
aud inaccurate statIstcs sometimes utterly ialla-
ciOus and misleading, nave often characterized Inc
results of the past"
" When will these experts be appointed -
Under the authority gwen the jensus officers,
many have already been appointed. and Others will
| be named in time Tor the work number of per-
sons are already in the field obtaining statistics OF
| gold, silver, IRON and copper mining. Others are
working along the shores OF the great lakes, obtain
ing statistics of fisheries aud the fishing populstion
Others obtaining statibtlcs OF steam and water
! power and manufacturing machinery. Special In
vestlgators have been at work the social stalls
tics oi cI les and penal aud reormatory insttu
Still others occupied with the facts concerning
the quarrylng industry will form the sub
| ject of separate Investigation by Of the most