The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-06-18
THE CENSUS RETURNS.
Supervisor Weastell Il
Guarding the Statistics
From All Inquirers.

Supervisor John H. Weastell is guarding
the census closer than so many diamonds
Information as to the population of the
county or any of the cities or town
ships thereof, is as scant as feas in win
ter The Supervisor has some completed
returns in hand and he has notified the
Washington department to that effect,
but permission to hand out any of this
matter has not been received from Direc-
tor Merriman.
The census department issused a state
ment few days ago to the effect that
bulletins containing the population of GER
tain cities, would be issued, beginning
today and kept UP from day to day as the
returns are computed by the thousands
of clerks at Washington. Jersey City, at
the last State census, taken in 1895 was
credited with population of approxi-
mately $4,000. That was five years age,
and today, this city is figured as having
215, 900 increase of about 35, 900 in five years
or 1000 a year.
The entire figures have not yet been
turned in to the Supervisor There are
about five per cent. of the enumerators,
either working their districts by special
permission, or filing in the schedules
previous to sending them in. Hence Jer-
sey's City's figures will not be available
for almost a week.
The outlying districts as explained by
the Supervisor, furnish enough mental
trouble for both the Supervisor and the
men, to almost drive them out of their
minds. These vast expanses of territory
cannot possibly be covered in the time
allotted and consequently an extension of
time was sought from Washington and
granted However, the completion of the
collection of data, is looked for by the
end of the present week
The majority of people who read about
the census work have but a faint concep-
tion of the magnitude of the task as
sumed by the authorities. In this district,
comprising all of the towns, townships
and cities in Hudson county and part of
Bergen county, there are about one hum
dred and eighty enumerators and a dozen
special agents and as many more clerks.
trip through the rooms of the Super
visor this morning brought to light the
vast amount of work the men were en-
gagged in The Supervisor has found but
very few sets of schedules so far that are
numerous corrections before the matter
can be sent to Washington. There are
some sets of schedules that are practical
ly unfit for use in their present state. The
men who worked on these are at present
rewriting the schedules. If these men can
not furnish correct schedules it may be
found necessary to send the men over
their district again. The Supervisor says
he will not send matter to the Census De-
partment unless it is in good shape. A
dozen men are rewriting schedules and the
special agents are also going over the re-
turns and checking the filed books.
Vouchers are being looked over and
these when certified will be sent to the de-
partment and the treasury drafts will be
delivered to the enumerators. On an aver
age each man will make $40. Some go as
high as $50, but few above that.
The industrial work is now going on,
and every factory in the district is being
visited There have been no arrests in
the district but the police were very often
called upon to assist the men. The ap-
pearance of the police invariably tended
to impress upon the minds of would-be
obstinate persons that the department
wanted the information, and that it
must have it at all costs.