The Virginia star., 1880-03-27
How Englanc Takes Her Census

In Great Britain census has been taken
every ten years since 1901, and the system
Is now one of the most perfect 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
Kingdom were mere guesswork. 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 order
.of the home government. In 1890, be-
ginning was made in Scotland by Sir John
Sinclair, who, through his personal efforts
in enlisting the cooperation of all the
clergymen of the established church, col
lected returns which were of great value,
although necessarily incomplete. After
seven years he completed his compilations,
and published the results in twenty-one
volumes, probably the greatest statistical
work ever under taken and carried through
by one private enterprise. Under the sys-
tenn adopted in 1851, the census in Great
Britain is now taken in one day, the 3lst
of March. In 1851, 30,6l0 enumerators
were appointed in England and Wales by
the 2, 1870 district registrars in those coun-
tries, each enumerator having distinctly
defined district assigned to him. In Scot
land the thirty-two sheriffs appointed the
temporary registrars - generally parish
schoolmasters and 8,130 enumerators.
For the smaller islands, the government
appointed 257 enumerators, and in Ireland
the census was taken by the Dnstabulary
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 the head OF the family,
condition, age, sex, occupation, and birth
place of every person in Great Britain, and
also 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 were all filled up in
| the night of March 30-3l and were taken
up at an early hour on March 81, the col
| lector filling 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 cpulation-persons
who spent the nights in boats and barges,
in barns, sheds, etc., were required to be
estimated as nearly as possible. The emu
merators were allowed one week to MAKE
their returns in, all transcribed, and the
summaries and estimates co npleted to de.
tailed instructions. The district registars
had to complete their revision of the re
/ turns of their subordinates in fortnight
I paying pnrtiosktur arrcutfvtr 10 nfnr specfaity
defined points. These revised returns were
again revised by the superintendent reg
registrars" and then transmitted to the cen
sus Office. The census was the most sue
cessful, In quickness and accuracy, accom-
plished in any country up to that time, ant
the same system has been pursued, will
little variation, ever since. The digestion
of the census reports by the central autho
rites is conducted most thoroughly ane
the compilations are of the greatest value
to statisticians and economists. The British
system has served as model for man,
other countries, where the census is nov
taken in one day by means OF printed
schedules.