The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-14
HOW THE NEXT CENSUS WILL Be TAKEN
Histories
Gathering


and the facts Transcribed to cards for
compilation.
The old method of computing the
facts contained in a census was by u
laborious system of hand-tallytng.
Every fact relating 10 each person was
indicated by a pencil mark under the
proper heading. on big sheets provided
for the purpose. This plan was
clumsy. slow and exceedingly liable To
error. Toward the end of the last CEN
sus 1t was superseded by the new
method of mechanical compilation.
Every process formerly executed by
hand is now carried out by the Hol-
lerith machine many times more rap
IDLY, and with much greater accuracy.
| Their highest recommendation, how
ever, is that they enable us 10 count
combinations of facts.
In compiling the results of the emu
meratlon. every person in the United
States will be represented by card.
The facts recorded concerning each
person are shown by holes punched in
the cards. Experience has shown that
the average number of records that
can be transferred from the schedules
to the punch cards by each clerk i'll one
day is 200. 1t is the intention of the
census authorities. as soon as the
schedules are received. to set LOCO
clerks at work with the punching ma
chimes This will mean something like
100000 punched cards per day. and
should exhaust the entire number Of
lO.0O0.000 or Whereabouts in approx
mately 100 working days. OF course =
little longer time may be required, or a.
little less.
AS fast as they are punched and
sorted according to sex, nativity or
color. the cards will be taken to the
machine room and run through the
electric tabulating machites- To take
off all the information contained on
the cards, they will be run through III.
machines four. or possibly five times.
Each instrument is capable of -dispos-
ing of about 5000 cards per day. and IL
Will. therefore. require 40 of them 10
keep up with the punching machines
Roughly described. the electric
counting machine consists of a box OF
needles set on spiral springs. These
needles descend on each card as it
passes through the machine. Where
there are no holes they pass through
and dip into a cup of mercury placed
underneath. This completes an cleo
trio circuit and sets in motion an indi-
Gator upon dial. which moves forward
exactly like the secondhand of a clock.
the various dials thus enumerating all
the facts and combinations of facts
wanted From the indicator dialS the
figures are copied off on result slips
and filed for the compiling clerks.
1T is estimated that each of the tab
ulating machines complies and regis
tiers information that would require tho
services of twenty clerks under the
old system of tally-sheets. y consid-
Grafton of ever more Importance is its
greater accuracy. The machine auto
matically throws out any card that is
wrong. -----
The thru Stage i'm preparing the
facts and figures for publication is the
tabulating. This will be in charge of
force of 900 clerks and copyists. whose
work will be the preparation of statisti-
cal tables. and COPY for the printers
The fourth and final stage is the type
setting. printing and binding. from
when the bulky volumes will emerge
AT the recent session of congress
no action was taken on the question
OF a building, and no appropriation for
the purpose was made. We think.
however. that private capital will under
take the erection of a building according
to plans prepared by ourselves. The rent
OF such a building. constructed to meet
our particular requirements. will he less
than the cost of securing a sufficient
amount OF room in any buildings now
available for the purpose in Washington
The building Will be OF brick. one story
nigh. except in the portion devoted To the
entirely by Skylights. One wing will con-
tain the punching room. 150x250 feet with
accommodations for the 1.el0 clerks en-
plOyed in that department. The other
wing will be occupied by eco tabulatinC
clerks. Between the two will be rooms
for the schedules for supplies and for
the counting machines. In the rear will
be room for the counting machines
with a small printing establishment for
the use of the bureau in printing its own
cards. bulletins and circulars
The matter of proper supervision is of
great Importance in work of this kind
For example. the 5000 clerks employed in
the bureau will each receive an averag',
salary of about $500 per year. They will
not be paid so much at the start This
will involve an outlay of $2.70g.000 per year
for clerical work alone. The employees
work six and One-half hours per day.
that the loss of one minute per day in the