The evening times., 1900-01-10
THE CENSUS ENUMERATORS.
How Those in Eastern cities Are to
Collect Figures.

How Those in Eastern cities Are TO
Collect Figures.
This week instructions will be given to
the supervisors having in charge the cen
sus enumerations of New York and Boston
as to the method adopted by the Director
for including absentees in the enumera-
ton Of the coming summer The plan was
drawn up by Mr.. Hunt. in the Census Of
fee and then submitted in its first draft
to several prominent statisticians for their
criticism, which resulted in a few slight
notifications. In the main, the plan is as
Mr. Hunt first prepared it.
Each enumerator will be supplied with a
street book" when he sets out on his
days work. This book is made up from
the street charts of the insurance COM
panies. which in all the larger cities are
kept very accurately up to date, and even
in the smaller ones are allowed to fall
only a few months behind at any time.
At the head Of each page will be the num-
Der Of the supervisors district, the num-
Der of the enumeration district, and the
name of the street Down the left-hand
side of the page the numbers Of the houses
and OF the lots on which houses are eN-
pected to stand are inscribed s2rially, with
spaces opposite each number for showing
the character and uses Of the building,
the number Of families resident in II, the
number OF persons, etc. This book will be
separate, II course, from the blanks in
which details are written concerning the
several families and their members; Il is
intended chiefly as a check upon the emu
meration. TO show its completeness. and
TO furnish a guide for any later investiga-
tion which II may be found necessary 10
make.
The enumerator who has for instance, X
Street from No. PSI to No. 500. writes
opposite No. Pol a memorandum that it is
a dwelling containing one family Of seven
persons. On his detailed blank he will
have the name OF each Of the persons COM
posing the family. the relation Of each 10
the head OF the family. the occupation Of
each and the other customary data.
Opposite No 253 he will write. perhaps,
vacant lot" Corresponding 10 this.
naturally. there will be no entry on his de-
tail blank Opposite Nos. 255 and 257,
braCkGted jointly may be the memorandum
apartment house and the number OF
families occupying IL, with the number of
persons composing these families. On the
detail sheet these persons will be grouped
by families Further down the block-say
a p
building" Now. an Office building is not
residence building in the ordinary sense.
yet tucked away in some part OF the top
story may be a janitOr'S family OF ive or
six persons.
But the enumerator. who gets only ,
cents a name may not be disposed TO exert
himself over-much in running down what
may prove 10 be false scents; so. II he
puts his head in at the door and asks the
first man he sees whether anybody lives
in that building. and is answered in the
negative. he is liable to enter on his book,
no families and no persons. So he will 20
through his series.
At the supervisor office, when the
enumerator's report is turned In, a com
parison with the insurance plat will show
very promptly whether the enumerator has
honestly recorded the character OF each
building or lot In the case Of an apart
ment-house or hotel, II his report shows
twelve families but his detail sheet ac-
counts for only nine Of these. he may
either make the others good by a subse-
quent visit or a special agent will be sent
10 the place and get the particulars Of the
three missing families. who presumptive-
ly were out OF reach Of the enumerator
when he called.
The same revision will probably be made
in the case OF Office buildings aud the like.
In the case Of houses found closed. the
euumeratoI is supposed TO ask the near
est police officer or some Of the neighbors
for the name Of the householder. II he can
ascertain the business address OF this per
son as well, he does that also, il not he
tries TO learn his occupation, SO that the
city directory viii furnish a clue. II will
then be his privilege, If he desires it, TO
hunt up the householder and ascertain the
particulars as 20 his family. turning in the
report thereon at . cents a head. or =
he does not feel that this will pay him a
special agent will undertake it,
Something like this plan would proba-
bly, have been put into operation with the
census of 1890 If there had been time The
trouble with that census. apart from its
covering pretty nearly every subject under
the sun. and being turned to political uses
was the hurried manner in which all the
work had to be laid out owing 10 the
lateness Of the passage Of the act
authorizing it, This year there is an
abundance of time and the blame for any
serious defects viii have TO be divided be
tween the plans and the administration OF
them. This consideration has put every
man in the Census Office. from The Director
down. upon his mettle.