Smyrna times., 1880-05-19
Prepare for the Census.

Oh thursday, June lst, the census taker
0egln their work throughout the UniteC
states; and all Of them are TO hava tba;,
returns completed on or before the fret do,
OF July. In cities, however, thew ara ~
nave their work finished up wifhir ,,ro
weeks after the first Of June. This ;s :
much shorter time than has been bitharte
aiIe"ed 1or census work in this conntr,,
though 1t IS quite sufficient for the c,tia.
seeing that in Great Britain the who'll d',,,
Is done In one day. People therefore nv
as well be thinking over the matter s,J ~
tnat extent preparing for it. The ofTicarS
Oh the census who call at dwellings ara
caled enumerators." Each of tin, l.
authorized by law to make the inonir;as
ana get the answers required by the law
each OF them will have a duly eveontn al
commission, and is under oath TO do bis
outy faithfully, and is subject to penaItas
Oh nne and imprisonment if he does not
me answers he gets from heads of fanoiles
or business men, or from those who act for
Ihem, are confidential communications and
are not to be divulged to anv orc excont
AIS ofhclal superiors, and these are under
the same oath and subject to the same nan.
altlef II they make unauthorized comrnri.
catlons concerning the answers tbov pet in
the line OF their duty. The making Of faIsa
returns by the enumerators or - suner.
Vlsors Is also punishable by fire and i'm.
prisonment. '''N' '4i'
These provisions Of the Census law are
mentioned to remind the public that. while
the Government provides for making in.
qulrIes as to personal matters for puTnose
el enllghtenlng the law making powers in
the exercise OF their duties, it takes care that
information OF personal nature or touch.
ing individual business shall not be REVEALED
oy the officers employed to collect it. For
thiS, as well as other reasons, the census
takers should be aided and sxpediated in
their duties. Census statistics are canabla
OF being used to the highest ADVANTAGE of
the people as guides to legislation, and. in
ueea, there is wide range of subjects upon
winch there can be no intelligent--and
possibly no safe egislation-without sucb
statistics collected at short intervals. The
law also imposes duties on heads of families
ana heads OF business houses or their
authorized agents, In the matter of giving
the information asked for by the law
Every person over twenty years Of age
OeIonglng TO any family, in an enumerator's
olslrlcti IS required 10y law to give census
Information, 1t requested to do SO by the
ehumerator' supervisor or superintendent,
ana Is punishable by fine for refusing to do
so.
Among the personal and family matters
SoouI Wnlch the enmeraters are required to
ask heads of families, or in their absence
the nearest accessibly persons over twenty
years OF age, who can give the information,
are the following: Name, age, sex, coler,
nlapn n nf
In the house or with the family; the trade,
profession or occupation of every adult male
over fifteen years of age, and whether the
adults are married, widowed or sinele-and
II married, whether married within the
years also the school attendance of the
children within the year what MON.
bers of the family (if any, over twenty
years CT age who are unable to read
and write; whether persons in the family
are employed or unemployed, and during
what portions Of the year: what relation
each person in the household bears to the
head of the house the place OF birth of
the parents of each person enumerated
and the mental and physical health of each
person, whether active or disabled, married.
crippled, bedridden, deaf, dumb, blind, in.
sane, or idiotic.
Some OF these are close questions. con.
cerning matters that most people do not
care to talk about to strangers /; but, when
1t is considered the communications are
needed by the Government for its uses, and
are made confidential by law, there should
be no hesitancy in giving them freely to the
enumerators. In matters of business, trade,
agriculture, manufactures, commerce, min.
ing, railroading, other transportation, in.
surance, expressing, telegraphing, and kin.
dred subjects, the inquiries take q broad
range, and in some respects the information
to be thus collected will be an Improvement
on all former censuses. This, it may be re-
peated, is guarded in the same way as to its
privacy, as family matters are. The emu.
merators are bound by oath, and under
severe penalties of fine and imprisonment,
to reveal 1t to no one, except in their official
reports to official superiors, and they are
bound in the same way. There are provis.
ions also for collecting the valuation of real
and personal estate, by aggregates from
towns, cities and counties the aggre gates
OF taxes assessed for all purposes the
number of colleges, academies, schools of all
kinds and school funds; the number, char.
actsr and condition Of public libraries sta.
tistics OF newspapers and periodicals; the
seasons and the crops; prices of labor ;
matters relating to religious worship; and
of pauperism and crime. Some of this, as
we'll as much that relates to mortality, rail.
roads, telegraphs, insurance, &C., taxes,
valuation and real estate, is to be got
through corporate authorities or other
agencies outside of the enumsrators. All
of it is important for Government purposes,
and should be given promptly and cheer
fully to those authorized by the law to
make the inquiries and collect the informa-
tion.-PhilG. Ledger.