New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-24
UNIVERSAL CENSUS Reform.

The resolutions adopted by the House OF Repre-
sentatives last week bearing upon the Census
Bureau are step In the right direction. They
instruct the Commissioner Of Labor to enter
into correspondence with the census officers or
other countries for the purpose Of making the
scope Of census Inquiries uniform, and also to
draw up bill for the creation Of a permanent
census Bureau The latter Is something or
which the need has long been apparent.
census is taken every tenth year At present a
special commissioner Is appointed for taking
each one, and he has to organize staff. and
lay ont plans Of work anew. from the beginning.
The census Is taken at the specified time, but 1t
requires several years to tabulate. edit and pub
lish all It's reports About the time the work Is
done and the staff dismissed and dispersed
preparations must begin for taking another cen
s,IS and another commissioner has To be APP
pointed and new staff organized. Such a sys-
TEN Is clumsy. stupid and wastcfrl. There can
be no doubt that permanent bureau would do
the work more economically. more efficiently and
more promptly II would maintain constantly
M least the framework Of the working staff.
1t would be able to apply to the taking OF one
census the experience and skill acquired in tax
Ing former ones And 1t would Insure a certain
such as has not always hitherto been observed.
1t is upon such uniformity OF scope that the
great value Of censuses depends; for It Is only
thus that statistics are made available for pnr
poses Of comparison. To know simply the num-
her Of Inhabitants and the volume Of business
done In the country AT a given time is interest
ing. but that is not all people want TO know.
They want 10 know what the movement of pop
census whether There has been increase or u.
crease and in what ratio, and In what especial
particulars. So. too. they want 10 know how
such movements In this country compare with
those In foreign lands and that fact makes evil
dent the value OF the other part OF the resolu-
lions adopted by Congress. There has been
sad lack ~ uniformity between the censuses OF
various nations. Each has pursued its own lines
" inquiry. and expressed The result in lis own
way As n consequence II has been difficult,
sometimes impossible 10 institute exact com
PARSONS between the statistics Of different ma
tions. II this can be- remeiIed II a uniform
system can be adopted by The principal nations.
50 as TO make all their statistics readily com
parable the practical value Of census taking will
be- enormously enhanced.
There is one other point. which does not appear
To have been mentioned In the resolutions but
which Is well worthy Of immediate and careful
attention That is the dcsirabty Of having all
nations take their censuses at exactly the same
time In THE Statesman's Year Book" we lind
the latest available census figures Of the follow
Ing dates: Great Britain and France April
1891 Austria Hungary and Germany, Deccm-
ber 1890: Belgium. Holland and Italy Decem.
bcr 1893. the latter two. however being mere
estimates. the latest actual census having been
| taken In Holland In December 1889 and in Italy,
| In 1881; Sweden December 1890; Norway Jan
uary 1891: Switzerland. December 1883; Japan
| December. 1892; Spain. 1887 Russia. 1850: and
the United States. 1890 Such IN array Of dates
approaching end OF the century suggests an nd
mrable opportunity for correcting this evil and
| for adopting throughout the whole civilized
| world uniform time for census-taklng, lust rs
we already have practically uniform calendar
The United States IL. Of course. to take It's reg
ular decenninl census In 1900 The principal ma
lions Of Europe Intend. we believe, 10 take CEN
sllses at or near the same date But they are
scattered all the way from the fall Of 1890 TO the
spring Of 1901. Why not set them all for 1900
and thenceforth take them every tenth year. as
is done in this country? Our Government, In Its
correspondence the general subject will do
well TO breach this reform. and II II can succeed
| In cfYcctng II Will do an uncommOnly good piece
OF work for the science Of statistics
"
or corporations 1t has been observed that they