Sullivan republican. [volume] (Laporte, Pa.) 1883-1896, 1890-05-30
homes in cases where a doubt exists

l9rOmes in cases where doubt exists
as to whether said farms and homes
are morteaged or not. 1t should be
borne in mind that these addresses,
unlike those obtained from the real
estate records by abstractors in
search of mortgaged Indebtedness,
and referred to hereafter, will not
be subject to any considerable
change in the short time elalsing
between their collections and the
forwarding from the census office of
the circular of inquiry. AS the law
provides penalty of 500 for re-
fuSal to answer these questions, it is
believed that a very large percentage
of the circulars which will be sent
from this office as soon as the poula-
tion schedules are returned will be
answered forthwith 1t is not like
ly that these circulars will be re-
qmred before July, so they have not
as yet been formulated. 1t is the
intention, however, to include such
questions as will elicit the amount
of mortgaged indebtedness due up
on every mort2aged home and farm
occupied by the owner, the value of
the mortgaged property, the rate of
interest borne by the debt the causes
and purposes of the Indebtedness,
and such other information as may
be obtainable will aid in making this
inquiry as complete as possible"
Other advantage is found in tue
fact that the enumerator is local
man and mostly known to the per-
son to whom inquiry is directed.
1t is therefore fair to assume that
the persons called upon who are in
debt will more cheerfully answer
questions on blank sent to them
by the Superintendent of Census
than they will the local enumerator.
Once the enumerators forward to
Washington the postoffice address
of people who are in debt, or have
their farms and houses mortgaged,
and the matter of getting accurate
statistics Will be reduced to u simple
plan.
The results to be obtained are inn
portant. The financial transactions
of the people, as far as indicated by
recorded mortgages, will be ascer-
tanned for the ten years from 1880
to 1890. The number of acres of
agricultural land and the number of |
real estate holdings by States and
minor civil divisions which have
been mortgaged each year, and the
mortgage debt placed upon those
two classes OF real estate by years
and by counties will be ascertained.
The amount Of mortgage debt ex-
listing on January 1, 1890, upon
agricultural land and upon village
and city real estate will also be OBJ
tained for each county. Besides
these statistics of general interest,
the growth of business of building
and loan associations will be dis
closed. The causes of debt and |
purposes of mortgages will be
sought for and an endeavor made
to ascertain whether they have re-
suited from misfortune or enterprise
in business. Chattel mortgages
will not be dealt with.
Mr.. Porter, in his census bulletin
to Congress, gives many facts of
interest to all classes of people, and |
sums up by saying that it is the pur-
pose Of che office to make the in
vestigation through and as nearly
accurate as may be, to the end that
the eleventh census may show the
actual situation of the people in re.
spect of financial prosperity, and
may furnish foundation for com.
parison with the results of censuses
to be taken in the tuJure.