Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1880-03-06
How England Takes Her Census.

taken every ten years since 1901, and
the system is now one of the most per-
feet in existence. Until near the close
of the last century, there was no real
method, and all previous estimations
of the population of the United King
dom were mere guess work. 1t seems
the more strange that such should have
been the fact; considering that, in the
American colonies, enumerations of the
population had often been made by Or
der of the home government. In 1870,
a beginning was made in Scotland by
Sir John Sinclair, who, through his
personal efforts in enlisting the CO.
operation of all the clergymen of the
established church, collected returns
which were of great value, although
necessarily incomplete. After seven
years he completed his compilations,
and published the result in twenty -one
volumes, probably the greatest statis-
tical 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 31st of March. In 1851,
30, 610 enumerators were appointed in
England and Wales by the 2,19O dis
trict registrars in those countries, each
enumerator having distinctly defined
district assigned to him. In Scotland
the thirty-two sherifs appointed the
temporary registrars par
ish schoolmasters-and 8, ,130 enumera-
tors. For the smaller islands the gov
ernment appointed 257 enumerators,
and in Ireland the census was taken by
the constabulary. Some days before
the census 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 fam
lily, 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 coun-
try, travellers, seamen, soldiers, etc.
These schedules were all filed up in the
night of March 80 81, and were taken
up at an early hour on March 81, the
collector filing up the parts that had
been left blank through their negli-
gence or inability. All unoccupied
houses and buildings in course of con.
struction were also noted. The float
ing population-persons who spent the
nights in boats and barges, in barns,
| sheds, etc., were required to be esti
mated as nearly as possible. The emu.
merators were allowed one week te
make their returns, in all transcribed
and the summaries and estimates com
pleted according to detailed instruc
tions. The district registrars had te
complete their revision of the return!
of their subordinates in fortnight, pay
ing particular attention to nine special
ly defined points. These revised re
turns were again revised by the "su
perintendent registrars" and thel
transmitted to the census Office. Th
census was the most successful, il
quickness and accuracy, accompishe,
in any country up to that time, and tn
same system has been pursued, will
little variation, ever since. The diges
tion of the census reports by the centra
authorities is conducted most thor
oughly and scientifically, and the com
pilations are of the greatest value t
statisticians and economists. The Brit
ish system has served as a model 70
many other countries, where the censu
is now taken in one day by means 9
printed chedules.-Bostoa Herald.