The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-08-16
MA PARK @A&DMM EAN HOME NNI CENSUS ABOUT FINISHED HAVE STREET MM G9GE
STATISTICS EXPECTED FROM
WASHINGTON SOON.
Work Was Thoroughly Done and In
cludes Very Much Data in Addition
to the Enumeration of the Population.

Within the course of a few months
the people of the Hawaiian Islands will
learn more concerning this territory
than has ever been know before. This
additional light which is to be thrown
upon the islands and certain very i'm
portant features of residence here, is
to come in the form of statistics COM
piled from the returns of the Federal
Census Bureau conducted under the
direction of A II. Atkinson. With the
exception of one schedule, the census
of the islands has been completed and
the authorities at Washington ID. G.
Will soon be in possession of all of this
data and can proceed without delay in
| hguring the general results. The census
returns from Honolulu district have al
ready been received at Washington and
the remaining districts will be forward
ed on the Mariposa tomorrow. AS soon
as they reach their destination a special
corps of clerks will be put at work
compiling the returns and it is expect
ed that November at the outside will
bring the news which every one is es-
pecially anXiously awaiting-the size Of
the Territory's population.
Strange as it may seem the local de-
partment is not permitted to form any
estimate of the population 1t is not
a part of the duties of the superintend-
ent of census, such as the present
one. to keep any record of the total
number of names secured. That work
lies within the province OF the officials
at Washington who take the view that
the information secured is for the bene-
tit of every section of the Union and
when the returns have been officially
compiled il is time enough for the pub
lie to be acquainted with the size of
the particular state or territory.
The taking of a Federal census is by
no means what it was formerly. The
number of inhabitants is the smallest
part Of the work and although this re-
quired the utmost care upon the part
of the enumerators, it was the least
annoying of their duties. The census
department requires a man to learn as
I much as he possibly can about the
country and it's inhabitants while he is
setting down their names, their age.
their residence, their place of nativity,
and some more of the dips, spurs, an
giles and deViatiOns of their existence.
in addition to securing the mere popu-
lation of these Islands t was required
of the enumerators that they make full
and Comple.e returns upon six other
schedules. 1t as not alone necessary
.tthat they S2.-suld return so well posted
about the customs and residence of
each member of the many races here
but they had moreover to hand in a
multiplicity of facts connected with the
agriculture, the schools, the churches,
the fisheries, the sugar and the manu-
factures of all the islands of the group
1t was these details, these side issues
as it We're, that retarded all of the
men in the outside districts and made
their work so much harder than it
should have been.
Under Mr.. Atkinson were Special
Agent Bigelow and Special Agent j. w.
GirVin who with a StenOgrapher had
charge of the office work and under
them were about llO enumerators, two
of whom We're women, to attend to the
actual collection of the census. The
. work was retarded very seriously at
? the outset by the prevalence of the
plague. 1t had been originally intend
ed that Girvin, who is thoroughly ac-
quainted with the native tongue, and
the Islands, should make a personal
tour of the Territory and attend to the
appointment of agents who were spe-
cially qualified to conduct the work
demanded. Owing to the restrictions
r imposed by the Board of Health it was
, practically impossible for him to make
! this trip so the appointments had to
be made by correspondence For the
same reason the instructions had to
p be conveyed by letter and no matter
I how naturally bright the prospective
enumerator might have been, the task
4 of. learning an entirely new and de-
: tailed line of work was a severe test
| of his comprehension and, i'm many in
: exchanged where a single personal in
= struction by Mr.. Girvin would have
\ been sufficient. Ultimately Mr.. Girvir
2 was able to make the contemplated tour
2 and set every thing in motion in good
/ shape.
( In some places, the Islands were divi-
| ! ded into the regular judicial districts
e and where deemed necessary some mar
\ was appointed head of that division
- with one or more assistants under him
Y In Oahu there We're 81 enumerators. in
: Hawaii, So; in Kauai, II; in Maui, IS; In
. MOlokai, ?. The balance were distribut'
? ed about the remaining islands of the
/ group. The enumerators were paid 5;
= a day and the heads of a district re-
ceived one dollar more. In Honolulu
% the work was comparatively easy anc
only IA days were allowed for gathering
a the complete returns. The outside meI
a were busy from June /, the time tina
n the census began, until June 80, the
q date that the field work closed. Prac
tically every person in the country haC
- TO have a horse and for the first few
days the additional expense of an in
: terpreter was also necessary.
[ one of the easiest of the outside dis
e tricts to enumerate was the leper set
- tlement at MOlOkai. one of the inmates
!. was deputized to gather these returns
. and the work was accomplished with
20 out much difficulty. The men in th'
q outside district found the country no
- only rough but many of the residents
q very hard to reach. As few of th'
people were at their homes during TIT
day. 1t was an impossibility to follow
them into the fields so the enumera
tors We're put to the necessity of eX
- tending their days and from O'cloCl
= in the afternoon till 10 at night the.
Il were busy visiting the different place
;, of abode. Once found it was cas-.
Il enough to secure all of the data con
y, nected with a mans family but tn
u compilation of facts relating to the val
= ne of his land, the amount of ric
" grown and what else he produced prov
T. ed to be an entirely different task.
This was especially the case with tn
Chinese. They could not be pursuade
that the census had nothing to do wit
l. the local government, John SCENE
n to scent the bugbear of the tax assess
i or and evidently determined that
h his taxes were TO be raised it would no
! be upon the strength of any informa
IN vaua Avail