The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-04-01
FIFTH State CENSUS.
New Jersey Will Count Her In
habitants Herself This Year
Law Under Which the
Work Will Be Done.
Y { Special to ne Jersey otyAe,rs.

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TRENTON. April /. 1Ss5.-The enumera-
ton VIII ne MADE this year for the fifth
State census. 1t will be begun on May
l6 by the Assessors and the returns
must be with the Secretary of State by
July l. The latter furnishes the blanks.
Prior to 1885 the people were satisfied
with d~ecennial enumeration made by the
national government. The growth shown
by the census of 1850 and the business
uses made of the facts it presented, sug-
gested the advisability of having an in
termediate census made by the State.
An act passed by the Legislature in
1855 directed the Secretary of State to
have blanks for returns sent to the Coun-
ty Clerks, two being sent for each cleo
ton precinct. The County Clerk was to
forward the quota of blanks for town
ship or municipal subdivision Of the
county, to the Town Clerk. and he in
turn was to supply the blanks to the
local assessors. The assessors were di-
rected to make the enumeration. The
blanks were to be issued by the Secretary
of State on May /. n the enumeration
by the assessors was to begin on June l.
DETAILS OF THE WORK.
The enumeration was to show separate
ly the humber of white and colored
males and females. the foreign white
and colored males and females, and the
children of each between five and six
teen years of age. The assessors were
clerks on or before August 20 ensuing.
The county clerks forwarded the returns
TO the Secretary OF State, and he made
on or before January Is. The assessors
were paid fifty cents for each hundred
names, and were paid by the Boards of
H. Ef~fpehnl6arS- The Driptinr was Maid for
by the State Treasurer.
The original law sufficed for the census
developed. The assessors found the pay
stances neglectful. The county clerks had
ton of 1875 many of the boards of free
holders authorized a more liberal rate of
com~pensation. Some refused to exceed
resulted in a bin to legalize the increas-
ed amounts allowed by the ~freeholders
and to establish a uniform rate of 50
|. NOT SATISFACTORY.
This arrangement did not, prove salts
factory. but no further changes were
next decade. when E.. A. Armstrong was
Speaker in 1885. The amount allowed to
his printing bin to $3.50. This act changed
the time for the enumeration to May Is,
and required more details in the reports.
the number Of dwellings, and families,
and the number of families in each dwell
tng, a separate classification of Irish and
German. and "al other foreigners" with
q classification as to age by decades.
The ASSESSORS were to make returns di-
rectly to the Secretary of State on or
before July l ensuing. The Secretary
of State was to make his return to the
Legislature on January IS, as under the
old law. In cities having oyer 100, 900
population the boards Of aldermen We're
to appoint the enumerators. The com
pensation was reduced to 50 a hundred
names, with an allowance. of 80 cents a
~ see names fos etefl &c as s 20
returns. The printing and other neces-
sary expenses connected with blan and
t~abulation, to be paid by the State
Treasurer
There has been no changes in the law
since 1885, though it is considered bu
many to be defective. AS it now stands
he Jersey City Board of Aldermen will
appoint for that city and the Common
Council for Newark. The assessors in
I'll other parts of the State will make
The enumeration. There are nearly 500
assessors in the State.