Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-19
ANOTHER COUNT.
the CENSUS TO BE GONE OVER AGAIN sY
HOUSES.

This VIII Act rs n Check on the First
Enumeration, and Furnish Valuable Sta.
tistIcal Information-The Farmers End
10 Receiving Considerable Attention.
IRON A STAFF CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON, August 18.-The tinkling
Of the bells on the electrical counting ma
chine in the Census Office was not audible
to-day, and the big room where they and the
clerks who preside over them are collected
was comparatively quiet. A few odd
schedules were received during the morn
ing, but one or two machines were
all that were necessary to count them
and keep the Office abreast of the
work. The rest were silent and the clerks
were enjoying the short breathing spell
afforded them after the rush and hustle of
the last few weeks. The respite will, how
ever, not be for long, for it has been de-
cided that all the schedules shall be count
ed over again. The first count, which was
practically completed on Saturday. was by
families and resulted in finding IL, 1856, ,955
families, with an average Of five persons in
each family.
The count which it is now proposed to
make will be by houses, and will serve sew
eral purposes. 1t will first act as a check
upon the count which has been already
made of the total population and be of great
value in furnishing statistics bearing upon
the vital and social statistics of the country.
In the large cities, where crowded tenement
houses are the subject of much anxiety and
solicitude on the part OF the health officers
and others interested in the subject of NOR
fha
furnish data of great interest and
with considerable possibilities for resulting
good to the classes most deeply concerned.
This work will require the whole force, and
by working night and day, it is expected to
take not more than two weeks to complete
it. There was no provision made for this
count at the time the counting machines
were constructed, so that it cannot be done
at the same time with the tabulation of the
rest of the returns, and will involve sepa-
rate handling of the schedules.
The tabulation, by which is meant the
work of ascertaining the number of old SOL
diers, the ages, sexes and nationalities of
the people, together with all the rest of the
answers to the questions propounded on the
schedules, will not be begun until this count
is finished, and will take at least five or six
weeks to complete when once it is started.
The farmers generally throughout the coun-
try ought to be we'll satisfied with the man.
ner in which their interests are being
cared for in the present census. This par
ticular branch of inquiry is being more
fully investigated than has ever been the
case in any previous census. Not only have
the farmers the largest of any of the sched-
ules issued in any of the special branches,
but it has by far the largest number of
questions upon it. Their number is about
$50, and $50. 900 farmers have received a
copy with the request that they fill it up.
The questions relate to all branches of farm
work and will form the most comprehensive
inquiry into the subject ever undertaken in
any country. The returns are coming in
very satisfactorily, but the force of clerks at
present employed upon them is small, and
but little has been done in the way of ascer-
tanning results. One of the questions seems
to have puzzled not only the enumerators,
but some of the farmers as well. 1t is the
one requesting return as to the number of
artesian wells, if any, there are on each
farm. Some of the enumerators have put
down In this column any we'll of any kind
that they could find. In one section of Iu-
diana where there are no artesian wells at
all several hundreds of ordinary wells have
been returned. OF course in these cases
corrections will have to be made.