The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-14

| the task that the directors of the next
| United States census must accomplish.
Practically all the work of collecting
| the material will be done in the course
of three months next summer. To
carry ii out in that time, the census
authorities are now engaged in collect
ing force of nearly $4,000 men-a num-
Der greater than our standing army.
Of this number the majority-the emu
merators-will be employed only for d
few weeks or at most for one month,
but the clerical staff, comprising sew
eral thousand men, will be kept busy
for two years or more in compiling the
results and publishing them.
In the last two censuseS, those of
1880 and 1890. the publication of the re-
suits occupied from five to seven years.
In that of 1890 the last of the volumes
on population was not off the press
until seven years after the date of be-
ginning the work. In that of 1850 the
last of the volumes was published in
1889. This represented a fair rate of
speed. considering the dozens of bulky
volumes required to contain the data
collected by the enumerators. 1t seri-
ously impaired the value of some of
the most important statistics. however,
since they were out of date by the time
they came into the possession of the
public.
In the act providing for the census
of 1900, congress has stipulated that the
four principal repOrts-thOse on pOpu-
lation, mortality, manufactures and
agriculture-must be published by July
l. 1902 This demands a rate of prog
ress four times as great as that of the
last census. To meet the requirements
of the act. preparations are being made
on d much larger scale than ever be-
fore. The plans of the census officials
I,to h. Of
building in Washington. to be occupied
exclusively by the census bureau, and
the employment of a larger number of
clerks than were ever before enrolled
for the purpose.
I'VE regard ourselves" began Mr.
Wines. las being for all practical pur-
poses simply a manufacturing concern
\ great publishing enterprise has been
turned over to our charge. The work,
however. is one of vast proportion, and
if the requirements of congress are To
be complied with. we must go at it on
a large scale, and with all necessary
facilities. That is what we are now
planning for, to the best of our abili-
ties, and we believe that we shall sue
coed.
THE first requirement is a sufficient
force to carry on the work. That
means that we must have more than
were employed in 1890 We have esti-
mated the necessary clerical staff here
in Washington at 5000. and there will
be plenty of occupation for fully that
number.
1T is equally necessary that these
employees should be competent for the
special line of work which they are to
undertake For our purpose an incom
petent man is worse than none, for ii
is a costly and difficult matter to rem-
edy mistakes. Absolute accuracy is re-
quired in the work or it loses all its
value. The general requirements are
much the same as those demanded of
an efficient bank clerk. Rapidly is in
a high degree desirable.
THE other requirements for eff
GENTLY carrying on the work are, a
place suited to its demands in which
TO carry it on, and absolute control and
authority over the employees, without
outside interference.
THE law provides for the eXamina-
ton of all applicants for places above
the grade of Umskilled laborer. These
examinations will probably begin next
week in Washington. The result of the
examinations will be supplemented by
means of recommendations based on
the previous experience and records OF
candidates.
THE third test of efficiency will be
actual experience. All employees viii;
be taken on trial. If they prove to be
untitled for the work they will be
dropped They will be paid according
to their pecuniary value. as shown by
their work, and promotion will be on
the sole ground of merit.
1.-The actual work of the census di-
vides itself into two parts-collecting