Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-01-16
The Tenth Census.

The Government is making extra
ordinary preparations for taking the
Tenth Census. 1t will be more COM
plete than any former enumeration,
as sufficient force will be placed at
work to complete the returns in q
single month, thus avoiding the du-
plications which doubtless resulted
under the system which extended
the count over four and five months.
This cause of inaccuracy not only ap-
piled to the enumeration of persons,
but the return of agricultural and
mechanical resources could not be
as precisely determined under a long
period as when the work should be
done as, nearly as possible, with
Simultaneous precision. 1t is pro-
posed, next June. the month Of emu
meration, to complete the large cities
in two weeks, thus removing, as far
as possible, errors of omission and
duplication which have hitherto re-
suited from the migratory habits of
the people. 1t is a notable fact
that many towns which in December
contain but three or four hundred
inhabitants, may in August have
many thousands. While the ma
chinery of the census bureau is not
fitted to do work which will pass
nice discrimination, it is necessary
to determine, as far asjpossible, the
population of the country, defined by
geographical bounds. Each State
and Territory should receive it's
just proportion of the total emu
meration of actual inhabitants, and
it is likewise important that their
political subdivisions should be &C
credited with the same accurate
count.
The census is to be made this year
by Supervisors, to be paid as ex-
perts. Former enumerations have
been made by the U. s. Marshals,
without any reference to their fit
ness for the work. These Super
visors will receive $500 in full for
their services. Their districts will
be determined with reference to the
exigencies of the service. Hitherto
they have been constituted out of the
judicial districts, a manifest error, as
some would have few thousand in
habitants and others upwards of q
million. The Superv isors will have
control of an army of enumerators,
whose compensation will be fixed by
the Interior Department, according
to circumstances. The law requires
them to be appointed without refer
ence to party, for their peculiar fit
ness for such work. It will require
about 10000 persons to make the
returns within the prescribed time.
The labors of the census bureau
will be directed towards two distinct
objects. The first of these will be
the enumeration proper, which in
ciudes the count of the population,
social and vital statistics, name, age,
sex, color, place of birth and occu-
patton of each person. The other
will embrace a collection OF statistics
OF manufactures, agriculture, min
ing, fishing interest and social sta
tistics. such as taxation, wealth, pub
lie Indebtedness, libraries, newspa-
Pers, churches, schools, paupers and
crimes, insanity, and so forth.
These do not strictly pertain to
census, and in other countries are
obtalLed through different agencies.
But with us they have been required
since 1850. The Act of 1879 en-
larges the scope still more, and in
cluaas the operations of railroads.
fire and life insurance, telegraph
and express companies, and other
institutions. It also provides for
the employment of experts in thes g
different departments-a provision
OF the utmost importance, which
cannot fall to secure results of far
greater completeness and accuracy
than heretofore. Grossly made
qnate and inaccurate statistics, some
times utterly fallacious and mislead-
1ag, have often characterized the
results of the past. Mineral and
geological statistics will likewise re-
ceive full attention and a report
upon the condition of our timber
resources will be made by an expert