The leader., 1889-11-16
THE NEXT CENSUS
TheSuperintendent's Report of
the Preliminary Operations.
Important New Features That
Have Been Projected.

The report of Robert P Porter, Superin-
tendent of the Eleventh Census, to the Secre-
tary of the Interior, concerning the operations
of the census Office since June 1, 1889, which
has just been made, explains in detail the
vast amount of work that has already been
done, preliminary to the active field work
that will begin next year. For the purpose
of tho enumeration of population, division
of the country into supervisors districts has
been made, and the result published In Census
Bulletin No. l. The work preliminary to the
enumeration is well in hand, and a considerable
amount of it is already done. The population
schedule has been prepared, and In addition to
the information called for by the tenth census
schedule, will ascertain what language IS
spoken by every person ten years OF age and
upward; how long adult males of foreign
birth have been in the United States, and
whether they are naturallzed; now many
children each married woman has had, and
how many of such children are living, and
the classification by race will include mulat-
toes Quadroons and octoroons. The ctasslh-
cation of occupations will be more complete
than ever before. Owing to Improvements
in the records of some of the States. and to
the active cooperation of $4,000 physicians,
to whom registers have been sent, the vital
statistics will be more complete than 1t was
possible to make them in the census of 1880.
work is a special study of the birth and death
rates, and of the principal causes of death In
twenty-four of the largest cities; a special
study of the influences of race upon fecund1ty
and mortality, and special study OF the re-
lations of occupation to death rates, ana
to particular causes of death. The inquiry
regarding the names, organizations and
length of service of the surviving veter-
ans of the Rebellion who served the
United States will call for a report
of eight quarto volumes, of 1000 pages each.
The work in the division of Wealth, Debt
and Taxation, is now well advanced, and Its
results, embracing large variety OF lnfor-
nation about public finance will be pub
lished next summer. Among other things,
it will exhibit the financial condition OF
every county, city, town and Incorporated
village in the country at the end of each
fiscal year since $780, with full analysis OF
receipts, expenses and assets.
The clause in the law relating to recorded
Indebtedness has opened an entirely new field
of inquiry and problem as to methods
without precedent in census work. The re-
port goes on to say: THE manifest and
manifold difficulties in arriving at the debt
represented by the apparent debt, as it ap-
pears on the face of the public records of the
country, are, at first thought almost 1nsur-
mountable. Further, the cost of such an inves-
tigation, if pursued by the direct method of
searching all records and canvasslng the
parties to whom they relate, would doubtless
be greatly in excess of any sum contem-
plated by Congress in makingits appropria-
tions. Under these circumstances, soma
preliminary and local inquiries have been
Instituted in the States of Illinois, Iowa, New
York and Massachusetts, and within short
time the results of the investigation will be
given to the public in a census bulletin"
The statistics of agriculture it is expected,
will be more complete than ever before, and
may include some new features in relation to
irrigation, dairy and poultry products, ranch
cattle, and the number of animals other than
those on farms. The preliminary work in
the division of manufactures indicates that
their statistics will be more complete and ac-
curate than the country has ever had before.
The field work methods of the tenth census
will be improved upon, and all the sched-
ules of that census, in this division,
have been enlarged. The information to be
obtained about the business of railroad, tele-
graph telephone and express companies, and
of water ways, will be of the highest interest.
The Superintendent suggests that it may be
necessary to ask for additional legislation, in
order chat his Office may be empowered to
secura s11ch information