The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-09-14
TAKING THE NEW CENSUS
New Jersey Affords Some
Puzzling Geographical
Problems.

The supervisors of the United States
census in the metropolitan district, which
means New York and New Jersey, are
organizing, and they have had one session
at the Holland House in New York, which
was attended by all of the supervisors OF
New York and New Jersey.
The men were introduced to a represent
alive in the Census Office at Washington.
1t had first been expected that Director
Merriam himself would be on hand to
talk with them, but he was detained by
other business. There was a general con-
ference about the preliminary work, as
all of the men have now been sworn in
and their oaths of office are on file in
the department at Washington.
The instructions they received from the
Washington man were generally about
the boundary lines of the different dis
tricts, and what was required of the men
from their respective districts. Little was
said about what many people in the State
determine as the most important, the
time for selecting the enumerators and
what pay they are to receive. 1t came
out, however, that it win be the latter
part of next May before the hundreds of
enumerators are appointed, and it will be
Tie 1lISl part VI ulAC CAOAC hASy -
put to work gathering the names. Al
though it is a big task, the gathering of
the names of the people of the United
States is the simplest part of the work
to be lone in the aking of the census.
The men who have charge in this State
learned at the New York meeting man.
things they had not dreamed about, n
If any of them accepted their positions
with the understanding that they were
to be political sinecureS they were GER
tainIy mistaken. All of the supervisors
are now ait work going over the GROUNDS
of their respective districts, and the Jer-
seymen will have the most trouble on
account of the Borough act that was
passed in the Legislature of this State
since the last United States census was
taken. The townships were cut up in all
shapes under the borough system, every
county in the State feeling the effects of
the law. which will now work to the
great disadvantage of the census super
visors. They will be compelled to figure
out all of the borough lines and separate
them from the townships and little towns,
giving the names of the different officers
and value of the property in the town
ship against that of the borough.
In some sections Of New Jersey, where
the borough promoters have been un-
usually busy, they have succeeded IN get
ting a borough in the centre OF a town
ship in almost a circle, leaving the prop
erty on the outside of the township
proper, and in other cases, in order TO
take in an extra residence or two. the
pOfOuSn Is SHOWN Oh Lie map "a tHS &c
of a diamond or a triangle, and all OF
these~unes must be found and traced out
by the supervisor of the district, SO that
he will be entirely familiar with the
land when he begins to send out his
enumerators.
All of the supervisors are overrun with
but the names are only filed, as the time
for appointing them is too far Oft There
is said to be a movement on in Washing
ton to have the enumerators paid by
DAYS work. at 81 a day, this being done
with a view of getting an honest census
and doing away with any possibility Of
padding by the system of paying so much
4 name. as has been in vogue for all time.
Congressrnen, as q rule, are opposed 10
The days work system, and will insist on
paying by the name.