The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-03-04
HOW ENGLAND TAKES THE CENSUS
ACQuick and Accurate Method of Emu
nieFatlon-The Population of the UNI
ted Kingdom Counted In u Day.

AC0uick and Accurate Method OF Emu
nieratIon-Ihe Population of the uni
ted Kingdom Counted In Day.
BOstop Herald. I,., a.4.-at.
In Great Britain census has been ia.
ken every ten years since 1901, and the
system is now one Of the most perfect In
existence. Until near the close Of the
Hast century, there was no real method,
and all previous estimatiops Of the popu-
iation Of the United Kingdom were mere
guess work. 1t seems the more strange
that such should have been the fact, con.
gideriug that, in the American colonies,
enumerations Of the population had often
been made by order OF the home Govern
ment. In 1890; beginning was made in
Scotland by Sir John Sinclair, who, through
his personal efforts in enlisting the coop
Grafton OF all the clergymen OF the estab-
iished church collected returns which were
OF great value, although necessarily lnGom-
plete. After seven years he completed his
compilations, and published the results in
twenty-one volumes, probably the great
est statistical work ever undertaken and
carried through by one private enterprise,
Under the system adopted in 1851, the
census in Great Britain is now taken in
one day, the 3lst OF March. In 1851 .3O,-
610 enumerators were appointed in Eng
land and Wales by the 2,19o district regis
trars in those countries, each enumerator
having a,distinctly refined district assigned
To him. In Scotland the thirty-two shehfis
appointed the temporary registrars gener-
ally parish schoolmasters-and $3.50 emu
tnerators. For the small islands the gov.
eminent appointed 257 enumerators, and
| in ireland the census was taken by the
constabulary. Some days before the CEN
sus day printed schedules were delivered
at every house or tenement; in Wales
these were printed in Welsh for the
benefit of the lower classes. These
schedules contained questions about
the name, relation !, to head
Of family, condition, age, sex, occupation,
and birthplace OF every person in Great
Britain, and also as to the number OF deaf,
dumb and blind. Measures were taken
to secure accurately the names OF night
laborers, persons out Of the country,
travellers, seamen, soldiers, etc, These
schedules we're all filled up in the night Of
March 30.3l, and were taken up at an
early hour on March 81, the collector
filing up the parts that had been left
blank through their, negligence or in
ability. All unoccupied houses and build
ings in course of construction were also
noted. The floating neutrality-suspicious.
| who spend the nights in boats and barges,
In barns, sheds, etc., were required to be
estimated as nearly as possible. The
enumerators were allowed one week to
make their, returns in, all Transcribed,
and the, summaries and the estimates
completed according to detailed instruc.
tons. The district registrars had to COM
plete their revision OF the returns Of their
subordinates in q fostnight,paying particu.
lar attention to nine specially defined
points. These revised returns were again
revised by the superintendent Registrars"
and, then transmitted to the census office.
Tho census was the most successful, in
quickness' and accuracy, accomplished in
any, country up to that time, and the same
system has been pursued, with little varia-
ton, ever since. The digestion Of the CEN
sus reports by the central authorities is
conducted most thoroughly and scientific
ally, and the compilations are OF the great
est value to statisicians and economists.
The British system has served as a model
for many other countries, where the cen.
sus Is now taken in one day by means Of
printed schedules. g F''