Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-03-08
COST OF CENSUSES.
They Come High But the
Country Must Have Them.
Last One Cost SIT, 500, 900 and Il Has
Not Yet Peen Completed.
Movement for Permanent Bureau 1900 Will
Bring Many PsrpIexities!


The argument is that with a permanent
bureau to look after census matters the
dccennial census can BIO taken much more
cheaply and intelligcntly. 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 OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES congress is
asked to provide FOR its taking on more
comprehensive scale than was ever before
employed The United States has already
taken ii censuses, as required by the con
stitution. The first census, that of 1890
was IL simple affair.
Only one volume was printed of the re
suits, ana 1t comprised but g.. pages. /,
showed the population of the country to h
u tribe less than 1000 900, and the cost Of
the census was only $44, 900.
Compare this with the census taken in
1880. 1t cost tho enormous sum of S11,
DOC, 600 As yet not ill the volumes en-
bodying the results have been published
but the number arranged for runs up Il
20. The number Of pages will probably
reach 20,000
IN the flfst census the number of in
quirios made by the enumeintors was onl,
half dozen. These were Name of tn,
head OF the family; the number of fires
white males IL years and upward, includ
ing heads of families; the number of FIRE,
white males under is years: the numbero'
free white females, including heads O
families; the number of all other free per.
sons; the number Of slaves.
Too Complicated.
In the census of 1890 there were 9S1 in
qniries TO bo made concerning population
but not all of any one man. There were 81
Inquiries on the population schedule. II
it were at y farmhouse the cnumcrator hao
TO AID hundred or more questions in or
der to get the agricultural statistics. Ii
the enumeritor did his fun duty in seek.
ing information from farmer. he woult
ask 25G questions, including such inquire,
AS whether or not he grew hops, or pea
nuts, or oranges. or bananas, or elephants
Of course il was simply impossible To- asl
all these questions, and the schedule wa
IN many particulars farce. 1t is nov
proposed TO simplify the inquiries in ord6
TO secure better results. If the enumer
ators had stopped 10 make all the 25G in
quirieS Of the 1900, 600 farm proprietor
in good faith, setting down their answers
on to this day. The inquiries relating /.
manufactures numbered rs, and for ever.
mandatory visited the enumcrator wa
paid the nuniiicent sum of Is cents. O
course ht did not ask all the questions
Enumerators We're required to ask 3S CUES
tons concerning the insane, SO about fee
Dlcmindcd persons, IL as 10 the deaf ant
for the blind IL. Fer persons diseased O.
nh lnFa 81,
Concerning benevolcnce there were Al
questions; crime. 10; pauperism, As. OIL
course all these questions were not asket
of every individual, but each family ha,
TO tell whether or not it caue within an,
Of these classes.
The Enumerators.
In the last census there were 1900
enumerators employed to ask these Ques
lions throughout the country. An idea o
the completely of the system may be gained
when it is stated officially that the clerica
force used simply for settling the account,
of these enumerators was equivalent to tn,
employment of 2Sl clerks for an entirt
year ut u total cost for service alone of ap
proXimately $3.50, 600, or about five time.
more than tho whole cost Of the first cen
sus.
The late General Francis Walker recent
ly appeared before a senate committee and
made an argument in favor of permanent
census bureau. He said the government
had spent millions OF dollars, probably
tens of millions and perhaps a hundred
millions in all, for the collection and pub
LEGATION of statistical matter. But it had
never spent one cent in training men fol-
the work or in preparation for it. General
Walker said the government supports
naval academy to. train men for the navy
and a military academy to train men for
the army, but it has never spent any
money to prepare the men who are to dc
the work Of collecting statistics which cost
the people tens of millions of dollars.
One trouble with the present system is
that the enumerators are often employed
in such a rush that the manager of the
census bureau knows absolutely nothing
about their qualifications for tho work. II
frequently happened in 1890 that men who
had been appointed to make enumerations
threw up the job at the last moment, when
they saw how much work there was to do.
and their successors had to be appointed
by telegraph. With permanent census
bureau, these difficulties could be avoided
~ tioiouSh anu tiiilciy OrSanlZat1On.
A Change Proposed.
General Walker proposed = and it is
probable his suggestion will be adopted
that the day of taking the census be
changed from June l to April 10. Against
the former date it is urged that then many
city people are away from home, ON their
vacations, travelling or at the resorts, and
this adds to thedifiiculty of getting an
accurate census. The objection to April
Is is that then the country roads are in
their worst condition, and it will be the
more difficult for the enunerators to get
around, But the date set is only the day
of which the inquiry is made, Where did
you live on April 1927 and most of the
actual work of taking the enumeration is
made later on
General Walker when before the senate
committee made an estimate of the popu-
lation of the United States that will be
disclosed by the census of 1900. He thought
the total would be 10000, 900 In 1890
General Walker made preliminary esti- |
mate which came within 100000 of the |
actual figures. II General Walkers est. |