Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1884-03-19
The State Census.

e"hSh III ouhO VI WIS ycuij puISuun
to the provisions Of act No. 146, laws
of 1888. The act is not an amend
ment of the law under which the cen,
suses of 1854, 1864 and 1874 were
taken, but is an entirely new act, and
repeats all the former census acts. II
provides for much fuller census than
has ever yet been taken under State
authority. Excepting certain spe,
cial Investigations provided for by the
national census law, our present State
law is scarcely less comprehensive
than the national law. The schedules
to be used in the enumeration are be-
lieved to be an improvement on those
used in taking the national census.
The statistics of manufactures will be
equally as good as the manufacturing
statistics collected by enumerators for
the census of 1880, and the stats
tics of births, marriages, deaths, and
occupations will be better, and of
agriculture much fuller, than in 1880.
The inquiries as to the acreage in
growing crops June /, 18S4-barley,
buckwheat, corn, oats, rye, winter
wheat, spring wheat, potatoes, sorg-
hum, and grass, required by the State
census law, are new and important.
Former State censuses have been
taken by supervisors at the time of
taking the assessment. Objection has
been made that assessing officers can
not take complete and accurate GEN.
sus, both on account of the many
other duties imposed upon them, and
the fact that the inhabitants cannot
be persuaded that honestly answering
the various census questions will not
in some way increase the amount of
their taxes. That no such objection
may lie against the census Of 1884,
the law provides that it shall be taken
in the month Of June, or more than
a month after the completion of the
assessment, and by enumerators ap-
pointed specially for that purpose.
The enumerators are to be appointed
after the first Monday in April, and
on or before the first Monday in
May. The appointments in cities are
to be made by common councils, and
in townships by township boards.
The enumeration is to commence on
the first day of June, and be completed
in the month of June. 1t is to be of
date June 1, or just four years after
the national census of 1880.
After the enumeration is completed
the population schedule will be pub
licly reviewed, but no unauthorized
person should be allowed to examine
nor in any way to ascertain the facts
contained in any way of the other
schedules. If an enumerator shall
communicate to any person not au-
thorized to receive the same, any sta
tistics of property or business includ-
ed in his return, he will be subject
to fine of $500, or thirty days i'm
prisonment in the county Jail, or both
such fine and Imprisonment in the
discretion Of the court. This clause
is necessary for the protection Of in
dividual interests. Men naturally hes
itate, if they do not altogether refuse
to answer the questions relating to
their private business required by GEN.
sus laws, but there is no excuse for
concealment when assured that their
answers will be treated as confidential.
The census of business will be tabu-
lated by the Secretary Of State SO rs
to show the aggregate for State, coun-
ties, townships, cities, and wards, but
the tables will in no instance expose
the oneraticHs or business of an indi-
vidual, firm or corporation.
Enumerators will receive for their
services two dollars and fifty cents per
day for the time actually and neces-
sarily engaged in the canvass and in
the review of the population schedule,
and ten cents per mile for going to
the Office of the county Clerk to OBJ
tain the necessary blank schedules,
and ten cents per mile for carrying
the returns to the office of the county
Clerk. The amount due each enum-
orator will be calculated by the Clerk
and paid by the county Treasurer on
the certificate Of the Clerk. Before
the county Clerk can certify the
amount due an enumerator he is re-
quired to satisfy himself that the re-
turns are properly made out and duly
certified. He will closely examine
each census sheet for omissions, eras-
ures, interlineations and other defects,
including careless or imperfect entries
and torn or soiled condition of the
sheets, causing indistinctness in the
entries. Every sheet thus defaced
will be rejected as not properly made
out" as required by law.
1t will be seen from the foregoing
that high order Of intelligence will
be necessary for the proper taking of
the census under the present law, and
IL il hoped that those authorized TO