Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-06-01
THE CENSUS OF 1850.
What Superintendent Walker Says.

THh hkCkNT DISCHAKGES-MORE TO FOLLOW
THE FUND RUNNING oUT-PRoGREss OF THE
WoRK-FORTHCoMING RBPoRrs-A PROPOSED
BUREAU OF STATISTICS, ETC.
The discharges from the Census office, owing
to the forward state of the work, have been
very large OF late. Within the past six or
eight weeks there have been from six to seven
hundred removals. 1t will be necessary to
reduce the force still further, 80 that in time
there will be only very moderate establish
ment. The employees now number about one
half as many as they did when the full force
was on. One cause Of the discharges is that
the appropropriation has been so rapidly ex-
has been expended up to this time than was
expected. The money went in contingent ex-
penses to make the returns as full and accu-
accurate as possible.
AN INTERVIEW WITH GEN. WALKER
Gen. Walkef was In his Office this morning
In answer to question from STAR reporter
he said: II had expected to have had the
statistics ready and published to lay upon the
desks OF members Of Congress when that body
reassembles next December. This will not now
be fully able to do. Owing to the fact that the
appropriation is becoming rapidly exhausted,
there Is certain work that may have to 60
over until Congressional provision is made for
II. That, however, is only contingency. My
desire has been to have the tables aud compila-
t1ons finished within year after the enumer-
alton was completed. AT any rate, they Will be
ready In but little over year."
FORTHCOMING REPORTS.
''Will you publish anything before next De-
cember?" asked the reporter.
Eyes; 1 will have published by that time about
fifteen reports on different subjects. They
Will be In quarto Volumes each subject to Itself.
There Is not, think, any reason for publishing
these reports together for indiscriminate dts
tics don't care much for those of iron manufac.
lures. Money Will be saved by furnishing each
man what he wants. Ny idea is, after all
OF the are III sespae to get
tion, as Congress may direct. That, take, Ii
Will be done as in the case Of the Centennial
exhibition reports. 1t will be for the purpose
OF permanent record. am authorized by Con-
gress to publish 5000 copies of each report that
Is completed before next December. Then Con-
gress Will make further provisions for publ
cation"
"Have you many applications for statistics"
Thousands daily. My desk is covered with
letters and kilograms received from people who
want certain class OF statistics. They are
only interested In exactly what they want and
cannot possibly see why their statistics should
not be completed ahead of everything else.
The boards OF apportionment In the different
everyb body whose business deals in figures are
clamorous for certain results OF our work and
will not be satisfied until they get them"
STATISTICAL MAPS
"Will your reports have maps to illustrate
them?n
We are at work now on statistical maps.
These show such facts as the density of popu.
lation, where the cOlored people are, where the
foreigners are, &c. We Will use great many
OF OF these maps to show at glance the results
OF the work"
THE CENSUS OF 1870.
Are you better satisfied with the result of
this census than With the census OF 1902"
There Is no comparison between them
This census is so immeasurably the superior of
that OF 1870 that they should hardly be men,
toned together. We actually had to put out
works In the 1870 census with brands on them.
We had to state that the statistics In number
OF reports were incomplete and unreliable. One
report, l stated, was wholly worthless, and
should not be published. But Congress ordered
their publication and they had TO be sent out.
We had not the facilities nor the authority for
collecting statistics that we now have. do
not say that all OF the figures OF the present
lection Is impossible. But for all purposes and
for every use they are correct. The accuracy
has increased In proportion with the increase
In the range OF Statistics"
PROPOSED BUREAU OF STATISTICS.
The reporter called the attention of Gen.
Walker to the proposition that a permanent
Office OF statistics, growing out OF the census
work, be established.
:" think that 1s very good idea" he said.
81 can speak dSinterestedly on the subject. as
l have other plans when my work here Is
through. would nave CnaC Ol1lce, however.
embrace all the statistical work done by the
government The Treasury statistics bureau
and the statistics prepared by the Department
of Agriculture would be brought under the new
Office. The advantages OF the work proposed
would be very great and are too many to men
tion. Established as it would be on the basis
Ct the work OF the present census, it would
make the Inauguration OF the next census more
prompt and much less expensive The Office
could gather very large quantity OF statistics
each year that would be Of great value. Il could
keep In correspondence with the statistics
bureaus of the different states and introduce q
Uniform system, an object that is greatly
to be desired. 1t could also by its work keep
approximately apace with the growth of popu-
lalion and everything that the census embraces
how we stand. would not, however, see such
an Office established unless there was at its
head statist1cian with natural inclination
for the work-one who Is trained, careful and
conscientious. There is nothing W orse than q
bad stat1stician and there are no greater liars
than figures mishandled or managed so as to
prove theory. There may be sensation In
statistics. A man may supply figures to suit
himself when he has them not. He may use
them to prove what he wants to. There are
are plenty who are always dabbllng in them.
A man must be able to be valuable In collecting
statistics to discount them and make com.
pact and homogeneous result"
"What branch OF your work Will continue
the lopgest?" asked the reporter.
1.-The work OF applying the report upon one
subject to that upon another Very few peo-
pie can work on this. The railroad statistics
Will be compared, for instance, with the popu-
lation. There Is close connection between
the Two. BY the one we can prove the other
So with reports on other subjects. We Will
also get out condensed statement, giving what
you call the "meat" OF the whole work without
any tables IN detail or comparisons"