The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1899-03-17
COUNT Us NEXT YEAR
The Census Director Will Need
About $4,000 Assistants.
Mr.. MERRIAM'S STATEMENT.
Until Next Year-Democrats Promised
Chance, and App DIN tments to Be
Based on Merit.

WASHINGTON, March II. The policy
hat will govesl the task of taking
lie census of 1900 was outlined to-day
v Director Merriam. Mr.. Merriam
,:arted for Minneapolis this afternoon.
t will be at leaft thirty days yet be-
ore another selection of staff officer
5 made, with the proba exception
II Prof. Henry Gannett of this city as
This is in accordance
"ith decision of the director to-day
,iiat iu his absence there must be no
promises of office nor assurances nor
Encouragement for any given. Sew
ral of the officials selected Thursday
light have qualified and the active
preliminary work will begin at on ce.
Mr.. Merriam's statement follows:
LAS to prospective appointments to
'tfice the services of no more sta tt Of
1cers can be utilized at present and
mere will be no others selected within
certainly thirty days. Until the
,,hedules come back to the Office from
he enumerators in July, 1909, there
will be no clerks wanted sava such
mall skeleton force as will be neces-
ary to take care of the correspond
.nce and office work preliminary to
he taking of the census. When the
schedules come back there will be a
arge force of employees appointed. All
applications for Office will receive con-
;ideration and a large number already
lave been received and placed on file.
while the impression has gone
lbroad that the census is to be a re-
'uge for incompetency, the truth and
,he.actual facts are that all applicants
will be subjected to examinations be-
ore the civil service commission. No
political influence will be sufficient to
oils of whose competency to do the
work to be assigned him the director
S not satisfied in advance. And
furthermore, if any employe is found
o be incompetent on trial such em~
,loye will be discharged, regardless
IT his or her political backing.
The examination of employees will
ng of their general information and
capacity as it will be to their fitness
'or the work to be done as, for exam
o,e, no copyist who cannot write OR
spell satisfactorily will be appointed,
,or calculators who cannot calculate.
First of all, after the general admin
strative officers are selectel |, there
must be 300 supervisors appointed and
n their selection consultation will be
1ad with senators anu representatives
the respective states.
''It may be announced also that SEN
,tors and representatives who do not
oe.ong to the Republican party will
eceive the same fair treatment and
consideration along this line that is
xlven Republicans. These supervisors
will be appointed by the President
md con frmed by the Senate. None
,f these, as now 1tem plated, are tC
be recess appointments, but the list
will be ready for submission to the
Senate 1T the opening of the next ses
ion.
1.-The supervisors in turn will ap
point 40 900 enumerators to do the ac
:ual work throughout the country
but the list of appointments of emu
: perators first must have the approva
If the director of the census. Afte
approval they will be immediatel,
furnished the necessary blanks and in
structions This will be no small task
Assuming the population of tn
United States at this time to be, il
.ound numbers. $4,000. 900 peop.e
there must be 400, 600 sheets issued TO
the population schedules alone. Add
ing to these the other sche lul,s there
will have to be in the aggregate no
less than 500, 900 such sheets in printe
form issued. In counting the popula
ton every individual will be repre-
vented by q separate card and ther
will have to be manufactured an
printed not less than 100, 900, 900 c
these cards. The probability is that
,ystem of machine calculation, whic
admits Of counting facts in combin:
ton and worked so we'll in the las
census, will be adopted for that {
1900.
"Taken all in all, the complet
number of appointments that will /
made in the course of the census wi
be over $4,000. These include eightee
3r twenty staff officers, 300 supervi
7rs, 10000 enumerators and abol
1900 clerks and other employees here
20 Ll0kr1 r1spa<