The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-08-03
Census of 1890.


assistants have already started pre-.
liminary operations. and nearly ev-
cry day the superintendent, Mr.. POr-
ter. has consultation with the ex-
perts in charge of the various branch
es. The policy announced at the
beginning, to conf1ne the investiga.
tions strictly to the statistics. is being
adhered to. One Of the most impor-
tant features of the work Is the col
lection of the statistics of manufac-
lures.
1t is not proposed to give a history
of manufactures or a description of
the various processes employed. The
Information collected will have to do
entirely with the number of estab-
lishments. their output. the employees
and other facts of similar character.
Mr.. Frank Williams, the expert in
charge, has just returned from trip
to the manufacturing centers in the
eastern portion of the country. He
has seen many leading manufactures,
had interviews with number of po-
litical economists, communicated
with the association of manufacture
ers and of trade organizations. He
has secured their cooperation and
also their views as to the character of
the investigation which it is thought
ought to be made. He is now en-
gagged in preparing schedule which
will be followed in collecting stats.
tics. Before this schedule is finally
adopted it is the intention of Super"
intendent Porter to submit it to free
trade professors. manufacturers. and
all other interested, inviting any
criticisms or suggestions. Mr.. Por.
ter thinks that in this way schedule
can be completed that will be consld-
cred satisfactory.
RELIGIOUS STATISTICS.
Tomorrow Mr.. Porter will have
an interview with III. X. Carol, the
editor of the New York Z,sdepe,adet.
who is regarded as an authority on
religious statistics. He will be placed
In charge of this work, and. like the
other special inquiries of the census.
it will embrace but few particulars,
but these are to be complete and cor.
rect. The history of the various de.
nominations and other matters of
that kind will not be touched upon.
The number of church buildings will
be given. their seating capacity, their
value, and that of other church prop
erty, the church population, &c.
WEALTH, DEBT, AND TAXATION.
Another inquiry that will be of
great value will be the statistics rel
ative to wealth, Indebtedness and
taxation. This work is under the
direction of Mr.. Campbell Copeland.
and he has already made prelimi.
nary organization and expects soon
to have the schedules prepared. Con-
nected with this inquiry is matter
that is rather perplexing, as it in
wolves the collection of the recorded
Indebtedness ofthe country. AS this
is subject to constant changes and
variations. and owing to the failure
to record payments on mortgages, it
is very difficult to ascertain at any
one time what is the exact amount
of the recorded Indebtedness. Super.
intendent Porter has received large
number of inquiries as to the course
which he proposes to follow and also
number of suggestions. He has,
however, adopted the following plan:
Messrs. John 8. Lord, of Illinois.
Fred w. Krouse, of New York, and
Geo. X. Holmes. of Massachusetts,
have been authorized to make in
their respective sections tests in order
to determine upon the best method
of ascertaining the amount of indebt-
edness. They will confine their
operations probably to one county.
and whatever plan will insure the
greatest accuracy in one section can
be applied to the collection of these
statistics throughout the country.
Mr.. Porter, however, is not sure that
his experts will be able to devise any
plan which will insure reasonable
accuracy, and rather than to expend
the quarter of million of dollars ap-
propriated by Congress for this pur.
pose in an unsatisfactory manner he
will lay the facts before Congress, so
that portion of the law which re-
quires the collection of such statistics
can be repealed if it is deemed best.
VITAL STATISTICS.
A novel plan has been adopted in
the collection of mortality and vital
statistics, which is under the direc.
ton of DR.. Billings. The cities will
be divided into blocks instead of fol-