The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1880-04-03


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 pop
ulation of the United Kingdom 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 order OF the
home government. In 1870, begin
ming was made in Scotland by Sir John
Sinclair, who, through his personal eff
forts in enlisting the cooperation OF all
the clergymen of the established church,
collected returns which were of great
value, although necessarily incomplete.
After seven years he completed his COM
pilations, and published the result in
twenty-one volumes, probably the great
est statistical work ever undertaken and
carried through by one private enter
prise. Under the system adopted in 1851,
the census in Great Britain is now taken
in one day, the 31st of March. In 1851,
3O,618 enumeratOrs were appointed in
England and Wales by the 2,190 dis
trict registrars in those countries, each
enumerator having distinctly defined
district assigned to him. In Scotland
the thirty-two sheriffs appointed the
temporary ENTHUSIASTICALLY parish
schoolmasters-and $3.50 enumerators.
For the smaller islands the Government
appointed 257 enumerators, and in Ire
- 4 Al f,1~ I>xyf Ho
stabulary. 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 con-
tanned questions about the name, rela-
ton 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 accu-
rately the names of night laborers, per-
sons out of the country, travellers, sea-
men, 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 Collector filling up the
parts that had been left blank through
their negligence or inability. All unoc-
cupied houses and buildings. in course of
construction were also noted. The float
ing neutrality-suspicious. 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 to
make their returns, in all transcribed,
and the summaries and estimates COM
pleted according to detailed instruc-
tons. The district registrars had to
complete their revision of the returns of
their subordinates in a fortnight, pay
ing particular attention to nine specially
defined points. These revised returns
were again revised by the sssuperintend-
ent registrars" and then transmitted to
| the census Office. The census was the
most successful, in quickness and accu-
racy, accomplished in any country up to
that time, and the same system has been
pursued, with little variation, ever since.
The digestion of the census reports by
the central authorities is conducted most
scientifically, and the compilations are
of the greatest value to statisticians and
economists. The British system has
served as model for many other coun-
tries, where the census is now taken in
one day by means of printed schedules.
-Bost0n Herald.