The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-06-17
REFORM IN SCHOOL CENSUS.

| Twenty-fifth legislatures SthtS SupsiiH-
| tondou. of Education Carlisle MADE the
| ioilowing recommendations with regard
to the taking OF the scholastic census:
THE sys.em vi collecting aud reporting
| the scholastic census nee0S !eViSioN' iHe'e
are az present no cnecks upou inc ~
| turns, no provisions Tor revising Vr coz
| reccing them. The reports OIL the W.
| rlous census takers are received as con-
elusive. No one is authorized to question
| them The result is that pot only nunier-
| GUS mis-. axes occur--eostly mlstakes-put
| In some cases there are charges OF gross
| fraud. 1t is probable that some OIL theso
| charges are true, and that the half oil the
| INACCURACIES of the census has never been
| suspected. 1t is incredible that
| the reports of hundreds OF census
takers and returning officers. subject 10
| no sort of revision Or correction, shouiu
| be free from error. | recommend. there
| fore, that the law be amended so as TO re-
auire the census rolls to be closely scrutl-
| nized and thoroughly corrected before they
can be accepted and made the basis OF the
distribution CT school funds. TINS Is q
natter of business. Involving thousands
OF dollars Of money. and should be placed
upon strict business basis.
Further experience has only served to
emphasize the necessity for action In ac-
coriance with the foregoing recolnmendn-
tlons. 1t Is Impossible under existing
laws to secure an accurate census. II
would. perhaps be no eXaggeration TO say
that gross frauds may be practiced. and
that the best efforts to deiect and expose
them may prove frutlcsj. Besides, II
frauds are detected. there is apparently
no penalty prescribed for the offense,
Legislation upon this subject Is very great
ly needed.
"As 1t is necessary to revise the law
on this subject, it is recommended that
the census be taken only once in two
years instead of every year as Is now
required. The total expense of taking the
census is S31.9S757 a year, and 1t increases
annually as the population increases 1t
does not seem that the shifting OF popu
lation is sufficient to require a new census
to be taken every year ana the eXpense,
which is no inccnsiderablo sum could be
saved without Inconvenience or injustice
TO any ONE
The Twenty fourth legislature failed to
take any notice OF the above. but the
Twenty-ffth addressed itself to the task
of providing the legislation suggested and
judging from the results thereof. which
are Just beginning to develop. it was a
good thing that it did so.
Of children returned to the scholastic CEN
sus taker shall be sworn to and that oath
snail be made TO the correctness of CEN
sus rolls and summaries. Furthermore,
said act contains The following:
Any census trustee who shall wilfully
IAN or refuse to obtain the necessary in
formation in regard TO any child which
VIII be over and under IL years Of age
on the LIST day of September next there
AFTER or who shall wifully fail or refuse
TO include any child within said ages in
his rolls, or Shall wilfully make any false
report, roll or summary, shall he guilty
Vi raise swearing and shall be punished
as prescribed by law for that offense. And
IL the county superintendent finds or be-
ileNes that any census trustee has violated
any duty required under this act. such
county superintendent shall report said
ee.isus trustee to The grand jury Of the
county at its next session after discoyering
such breach of duty. The rolls and sum-
MarIes OF the census trustee shall be nre-
served by the county superintendent in
n aus oinCe lor three years after thew ore
hieo The county superintendent sbon
lIhe on prescribed form separate con-
o ,,i,, rollS for the white and colored
o ,ri eiiSol ms county. showing the name.
age ana sex OF each together with The min,
Der of the district In which It lives and ~
name OF the parent or guardian, arrsng-
ihs the names of the children occordir,
10 the alphabetical order of their fan,iiv
names In making these consolidated rrii.
ne snail scrutini2e carefully tho worl,
W tne census trustees, and shall have
~, III 10 summon witnesses. take afida-
WIS and correct any errors he may Ard T.,
my census trustees roll. md he shall care
iuliy exclude all duplicates. II he deor,s
~ necessary he may reject anv roll and
appoint another census trustee N 80 |
the census of the district. in which nasa !
no snail not approve the warrant IN nav
me census trustee, whose work has been
,p'ee.eu, lof ms services. When the coun-
" SUPERINTENDENT has prepared his con
ssoiidated census roll. one for each rnc,
ne snail make a duplicate OF each ana ba
snait make affidavit to the correctness NJ |
no'h originals and duplicates. Tho orig
inaIs he shall on or before July I for
ward to the State superintendent of pub- |
VIC instruction at Austin. and the dnpll- |
Gates shall be fled with the county cler,,
ana become permanent records of his Of |
nee. Tho county Superintendent shall for. |
ward with his consolidated rolls an oh |
slfact on the prescribed form under oath |
showing ;he number of children of aoch
race. OF the different years of the schnnl
ago aud the total number of children
OF each race. and the total of both races
rolls and In Investigating tho work ~
any census trustee, the county sureriptnnd.
Ont shall refer 10 the forms and rolls ~
previous years. when necessary. and thSv
shall be carefully preserved for this rur-
pose.
The State superintendent shall bova
authority 10 investigate the census az
any county. TO correct errors, ana in az
,reme eases whom he believes gross error,
nave occurred. or that fraud has heen
preotced, he may, with the approval Of tho
state beard Of education. reject any conn
tvs roll and require the censu, n, I'VE
county to be rctaken"
strict Observance Of the aboys has
brought about marked changes In tbc
scholastic census returns received for 1898
In the first place they sre in much better
shape and much more oonnrehf nglys tb,n
has heretofore been the rule. and IN the
second place they bear upor their face
evidences of being honest. which could NOT
always DO said of those received in ths
past 49, 'ne
The cities ana counties with --1argo
negro and Mexican populations are thc
ones which seem to have most needed NJ
new law. One civ olpo, will $780, '''S