The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-05-13
The Census Takers Will Be-
gin Visits Soon.
Kind OF Questions That Will Be Asked
The Household.
The w9y the Questioner Can BE Iden-
titled as Legal Official.

This year, in accordance with law and
by tbs grace of the people of these plan
tatiols, a census will be taken of the pop
yulation, manufactures, agriculture,
fisheries and business of the State. Before
one month has passed, the busy house
wife or the hired help will be disturbed
In heir household duties By an official
who viii be ''around taking the census"
lie will have in his pocket a certificate OF
his authority, and wear upon his breast
glistening badge. He will also carry
slung across his shoulders an outfit very
much like an enlarged cartridge box, con-
tanning an assortment OF blue, red, and
yellow cards. This official Is known as
an "enumerator," and the certificate,
badge, and case with which he is laden
should render fraudulent impersonation
an impossibility.
Most of the enumerators will be men,
and therefore ii is safer to allude to them
in terms that will imply the male gender.
But woman has found her way into this
lire of work, and she will have q few rep
re entatives among the enumerators who,
on the whole, will make quite as capable
and faithful employees OF the State, as
those OF the other sex.
The cards the enumerator carries repre-
sent three branches of inquiry. He will
begin with yellow card upon which are
printed questions in regard to the
"family," for that is the starting point of
the investigation. Upon this card he
Will note the residence, the number of
ench sex in the family, the rooms occu-
pied, the materials of which the house is
constructed, and some other details. He
will then produce blue card, using one
for each male member Of the family, upon
which he will place information as to the
name, relation TO the head of the family,
physical condition, age, place of birth,
conjugal condition, color, race, voting
qualification, ability to read and write,
occupatior, and variety of other useful
knowledge. For every female in the
family he will use red card, upon which
are questions similar to those on the blue
card, excepting those relating to voting
qualifications, for female suffrage is yet
within the realms of anticipation in this
state. Besides these cards he will carry
where he finds boarders with whom the
householder is not sufficiently acquainted
TO be able to give the description re-
quired. These slips will have TO be filled
out between supdown and sunrise, so
that they can be given to the enumerator
when he makes another Gait.
He will also have book in which he
must enter ha mama of avarv ap,pIovar ~
labor, farmer, poultry raiser, fisherman,
soldier, sailor or marine, and widows of
soldiers, sailors and marines who served |
In the late war. The information gath |
cred in this book will form the basis of |
special inquiry later in the year.
While the enumerators are instructed |
TO be courteous and patient. as we'll as ac-
curate and painstakipg, it will save a good |
deal OF trouble il their authority is duly |
recognized. They are, for the time being,
State officials, acting under the direction
Of the census board. Behind the board
are the law, the courts and the State
prison. The last-named most assuredly
awaits those who persistently refuse to
give the information solicited by the
enumerator.
For the purpose OF this enumeration the
State has been divided into 212 districts
as follows: Providence, 100; Pawtucket,
Ia Newport, 13; Woonsocket, 8; War
wick, a; Central Falls, Cranston, Lincoln,
8 each; East Providence and Johnston, A
each; Westerly, Burrillville, Cum mberland.
South Kingstown, Coventry and Bristol,
each; Gloucester, Scituate, Smithfield,
Warren, East Greenwich, Hopkinton and
North Kingstown, each; Foster. North
Providence, North Smithfield, Barring
ton, West Greenwich. jamestown, Little
Compton, Miodletown, New shoreham,
Portsmouth, Tiverton, Charlestown and
Exeter. each.
The enumerators are appointed by the
census board, preference being given to
those recommended by the Board OF
Aldermen and Town Council They will
receive the following remuneration for
their services:
For each name on the population sched-
ule. ~ cents.
For each family on the population
schedule, IL cents.
For each unoccupied house enumerated,
~ cents.
For each name on the soldiers and sail
ors special schedule, III cents.
For recording each address OF farmers.
manufacturers, etc, ia the instruction
book, = cents.
An additional compensation may be
allowed by the board, not exceeding one
cent per name, for the use OF horse and
carriage in sparsely populated territory.
Previous TO this year the State census