The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-06-23
CENSUS WORK IS SLOW
DIRECTOR MERRIAM TELLS PEOPLE
THEY MUST HAVE PATIENCE.
Reasons Why Statistics of Population
Cannot Be Furnished the Pub.
lie for Many Days.

WASHINGTON, June 22.-Director OF
Census Merriam to-day gave out the fol-
lowing statement for the information OF
the public:
1.-The Census Office is now in receipt OF
many letters daily. asking for informa-
ton as to the results of the census in par
ticular localities especially in the larger
cities 1t does not appear to occur to the
writer's that the census has not yet been
taken. The law allows until June Is in
cities of 5000 inna abitants. and in rural dis
tricts until the 1st of July for its COM
pletion, and after that the schedules have
to be examined by the supervisors of GEN.
sus before they can be forwarded to Wash
ington, in order that the supervisors may
determine whether the work has been sat-
isfactorily done or may be in position to
certify to the correctness of the enumera-
tors accounts for service rendered under
the law. In order to appease the impa-
tience of the public the following state
ment has been prepared, showing what
has to be done with the census returns
when received at Washington, and why
IL must be weeks, or even months. before
the figures can be given out in their en-
tirety:
Every enumerator is required to fill
daily report card showing how many hours
and minutes he has been at work and how
many persons he has enumerated during
that day. Since there are Qncluding spe-
cial enumerators for institutions and for
the military and naval population) approx
imately $1,000 enumerators, and thirty days
are allowed for the completion of the CEN
sus the number of daily report cards to be
examined in the Census Office is some
where between 1,o00.0 600 and 100000, every
one of which has to be copied by hand up
on a series of blank tabulated statements,
OF which there is one for every enumera-
tor. These are then recopied upon a sum-
mary statement, showing the amount of
work in each supervisors district. and
since there is space on each blank for re-
cording the work of one hundred enumera-
tors and only part of the blanks will be
filled, there will be approximately 1000
Of these sheets.
"It is difficult for any one not familiar
with census work to form any idea of the
vast amount of material to be handled in
all of the divisions of the office. The num-
Der of boxes containing schedules sent to
the enumerators in advance of taking the
census was 45Oo, and their total weight
was estimated at 900 tons. All of this ma
terial is returned to Washington. where it
has to be sorted out and arranged in order
by States and the subdivisions of States
| upon shelving aggregating several miles in
| length. There is an invoice of schedules in
every box received, which has TO be veri-
| fed, and the schedules which do not relate
l.
cred to the chief statisticians for mortality
| agriculture and manufactures, and their
receipts taken for the same. A separate
receipt has to be made out by each Of them
| for each of the enumerators.
Next in order follows the examination
| in detail of the schedules. Every schedule
| has TO be examined in order to see that
| the enumerator has not made an over
| charge for his services. For this purpose
| the schedule has to be compared with the
account rendered by him. Every possible
| effort will be made to pay the enumerators
| at the earliest practicable date. Every
| business man knows that $1,000 bills pre-
| sented for payment in one day could NOT
| be edited and paid at sight.
'The schedules then go to the clerks en-
L
| electric tabulati,lg machine When these
| cards have been punched they have TO be
| verified by the use of a special machine
| so adjusted as TO throw out every card
which does not fulfill certain conditions of
accuracy I'm punching A count OF the pop
| ulation will be made during this verifica-
| ton by color. by sex, and by native or for
| eign birth. which will consume. possibly.
| five or six months. Not until this machine
count shall have been made for any par
ricular city. county or State can the figures
be given out for publication. The cities
| will naturally be taken up first. and. as
/ the actual population as returned by the
enumerators is ascertained IL will be post
| ed on a bulletin board in the hall outside
the directors room. for the information of
| the press Figures not given out by the
Census Once viii be understood to be
merely guesses. which may. in some cases,
! approximate the truth. but are unauthur-
lied ana untrustworthy."