The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1888-09-13
STATE CENSUS.
A Comparison Showing Inaccura'
c1es IN Mode of Taking.


To the Editor of the Statesman.
The last legislature, at its regular ses-
sion, for the purpose of procuring stats
tics, enacted law requiring tax assessors
when listing property FOR taxes to also
call upon all taxpayers in their respective
counties for necessary facts and informa-
ton for filing out blanks, ETC."
TIE blanks furnished by the commits
sioner of insurance, statistics and history
contemplated complete census of the
entire population of the state, without
reference to whether the individual called
upon was taxpayer or not.
The work done under this law is be-
ginning to come in to the department,
and the newspapers are referring to it as
authority upon the matter of population.
When these reports are all in great ad-
vantage will result to the state, if they are
proximately correct, but, if incorrect to
any considerable extent, the result will be
a public calamity.
A mere casual examination of the re-
ports which have been published up to
this time must convince anyone who has
kept up with the development of
the state since the last United
States census was taken, that they
are grossly erroneous and misrepresent
the true population of the counties re-
ported, all the way from 25 to IS per cent
and if the present average is maintained
On the counties not yet reported, the final
Jesuit will show population of over $780,
roo less than the true population.
There are several methods by which we
can determine with proximate accuracy
the true population of the state.
Beginning with the census of 1880, as a
true and correct basis, we find that the
total population of that year was 1,591,-
749. Each year since then we have had
the scholastic census taken, and, while it
has been thought to be inaccurate in some
p!aces,it is considered on the whole to rep
resent very nearly the true scholastic
census of the entire state. The scholastic
census of 1880 was 251,S71. The scholastic
age at that time embraced only six years;
now it embraces eight years, or an addi-
ton of 20 per cent. Calculating the
scholastic population of 1880 under this
proportion, we would have had 3l4,o39
children of scholastic age that year, and
this would have made the whole popula-
ton about III times greatsr than the
scholastic population.
To apply this rue to Travis county in
1880: The scholastic population for that
year was 1902; add 20 per cent fer
increase in scholastic age and we
have 5,252; multiply this by 5 LII, and
it gives the true population of the county
in 1880, 26,569, or within 459 of the num-
Der shown by the United States census.
This rule has been tested with suf-
ficient number Of representative counties
in the state to prove its accuracy as
basis for estimating the entire popula-
ton.
Applied to the scholastic census of 1888
(52S, l1O), it gives the state a population
of 2,671,7O5. Applied to the city of
Austin, it gives US a population of 21,S54;
Houston, 2S,076; Dallas, 81, APO, and other
cities in Texas similar proportions, ex-
cept Galveston and San Antonio, whose
scholastic censts has always been re-
garded as q h in excess of the trne
number.
Agar, from the unquestioned and IN