Arizona republican., 1899-03-13
NEXT CENSUS PLAN
Director Merriam Proposes
 NOn-PdFfizan Bureau.
No Provision Yef Made for Collect ing Statistics in pOrtO Rico and inc phiIippineS-Ihe Preliminary Work Of Plotting Territory.

Washington, March 12- William R. Merriam, ex-governor of Minnesota. the new director of the census, hopes to begin to organize the machinery of his bureau about the first of April. Nothing will be done for the present except to select the heads Of differ ent departments, experts who will 1 constitute the framework of the new i bureau. The entire force of the census, with the exception of the assistant di- rector will be appointed by the di- rector, giving him control of a great amount of patronage But the great army of clerks and enumerators. numbering in all over 5000O, will not he chosen for several months as the enumeration does not begin until June l. 1900
 The 300 supervisors, one practically for each congressional district, will not l0e appointed before December l. and the enumerators whose work these supervisors are to direct, will Eo5 be selected until even later. So that the great pressure which is already being
 
 plaees is premature.
 Under the law the census is to relate mainly to four items, viz: Population. mortality, products of agriculture and Of manufacturing and mechanical es- tabiishments. The report covering these four branches must be completed in two years. But aside from this,
 
 census bureau to cover. IL is author ized to collect statistics relating to the insane. the blind, and the deaf, to criminal and reformatory institutions, to public indebtedness. to transpcrta- tion, to electricity, to telephone and telegraph business, to mines and to mining and to other subjects of more or less general interest. Three years will be given foI the publication of in formation on these topics.
 Mir. Merriam estimates that at least -50.eo0 enurTerasors will be required, but it will be over year before these begin to work. in the meantime. this summer and next winter will be cccu- pied by the bureau in plotting the United States into geographical divis- icns and subdivisions, and in assign ing the enumerators and supervisors t0 their respective districts. No ap- pointments can be made till the work is all mapped ou- MT. Merriam says that in the selection of supervisors, he | shall follow the spirit of the law and | treat all political parties fairly. No clerks will Ee needed for months to come, but when they are appointed | they will be subject to a fair eXamina- tion to prove their accuracy, raDidity and general competence It will be pass" examination and not a competi- tive examination. About 5000 clerks will be employed at Washington.
 The law direc1s that the census Of Alaska and Hawaii shall be taken, but there is no provision with regard to Porto Rico and the Philippines, al though something will have to be done to this end, as they will be American possessions in the fullest sense 2f the term by the time the census is taken. The enumeration of Porto Rico can proceed without much difficulty, but there will be much trouble in trying to cover the Philippines. It is possible that the enumeration both in Porto Rico and the Philippines will be done under the direction of the military au- ;horities.