The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1897-03-12
.CENSUSES, CONF HIGH.
But the Country Must Have
Them.
THE LAST ONE COST sI1,5Oo, 900,
And 1t Is Not Completed Yet-A Move
ment For n Permanent Census Bureau.
. Preparations For the Census of 1000.
Many Complications and Perpiexities.

Preparations For the Census of 1000.
Many Complications and Perplexities.
WASHINGTON, March S.-tSpccial Am
effort is 10 be made 10 induce congress to
provide for q permanent census bureau.
Tho argument is that with permanent
bureau to look after census matters the
decennial census can be taken much more
cheaply and intelligently. Few people
have an idea of the magnitude to which
our census operations have grown. An.
other decennial census will have to be
taken very shortly now-during the Nc
Kinley administration-and congress is
asked to provide for its taking on more
comprehensive scale than was ever before
employed. The United States has already
taken i censuses, as required by the con
stitution. The first census. that of 1870,
was q simple affair.
Only one volume was printed of the re-
suits, and it comprised but 90 pages. 1t
showed the population of the country to DC
q trifle less than 1000, 600. and the cost of
the census was only $44, 900.
Compare this with the census taken in
1890. 1t cost the enormous sum of 81,
100000 AS yet not all the volumes en-
bodying the results have been published,
20. The number of pages will probably
reach 100000
In the first census the number OF in
quiries made by the enumerators was only
q half dozen. These were: Name Of tic
head of the family; the number of free
white males 16 years and upward, includ
ing heads of families; the number of free
white males under 10 years the number of
free white females including heads CT
families; the number of all other free per
sons; the number of slaves.
Too Complicated.
In the census of 1890 there were 3S1 in
quirics to be made concerning population,
but not all of any one man. There were 30
inquiries on tho population schedule. If
1T were at farmhouse the enumeration had
to add hundred or more questions in Or
der to get the agricultural statistics. If
the enumeration did his full duty in seek
ing information from q farmer, he would
ask 256 questions, including such inquiries
as whether or not he grew hops, or pea
nuts, or oranges, or bananas, or elephants
OF course it was simply impossible to ask
all these questions, and the schedule was
in many particulars n farce. 1t Is now
proposed to simplify tho inquiries in order
to secure better results. If the enumer-
ators had stopped to make all the 256 in
quiries of the 100000 farm proprietors
in good faith, setting down their answers,
it is probable the census would be going
on to this day. The inquiries relating to
manufactures numbered 70, and for every
mandatory visited the enumerator was
paid the muniflcent sum of Is cents. OF
course he did not ask all the questions
Enumerators were required to ask 3S ques-
tions concerning the insane, 80 about fec
bleminded persons, AZ as to the deaf, and
for tho blind al. For persons diseased or
physically defective there were 20 inquiries.
Concerning benevolence there were 48
questions; crime, 40; pauperism, 4S. OF
course all these questions were not asked
of every individual, but each family had
to tell whether or not it came within any
Of these classes.
The Enumerators.
In the last census there were $4,000
enumerators employed to ask these ques-
tions throughout the country. An idea of
the complexity of the system may be gained
when it is stated officially that the clerical
force used simply for settling the accounts
of these enumerators was equivalent to the
employment Of PSI clerks for an entire
year at total cost for service alone of ap-
proximately $3.50, 900, or about five times
more than tho whole cost of the first cen
sus.
The late General Francis Walker recent
ly appeared before q senate committee and
made an argument. in favor. of a permanent