The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-10-31
WORK OF THE CENSUS.
Director Merriam Tells of the Prog
ress Thnt Has Been Made.


In speaking of the work of tho Census
Bureau, Director Merriam said this morn
ing:
1T has been the custom heretofore
to make a rough count using the names
of the schedules as basis; but in this
decade it was determined to avoid the err
rers likely to arise from a preliminary
count. and also the necessary expense and
delay incident to such proceeding. The
plan was adopted of verifying the count
at once by the Use of the electrical tabu-
latory machines.
THE early completion of the tabulation
OF the population Of the State enables the
Census Office to submit the figures 10
Congress as soon as 1t convenes in Decem-
Der, thus giving that body the information
| necessary to dispose of the question OF
the reapportionment OF the representa-
| tiYes at the coming session.
"AII the field work OF the Twelfth Cen
| sus. so far as it relates to the collection
! of the data relating to population, agri-
| culture, vital statistics, and manufactures.
| Is now complete.
1T is the aim OF the officials in charge
/ Ut the work to push the tabuiation OF the
returns, SO as to give the complete re-
! ports to the public in accordance with the
! law which requires that they shall be
| issued by July /, 1862. Il is proper 10
! state that the present Census act is sucn
a vast Improvement over any legislation
/ heretofore enacted that the officials are
able to proceed with the work with greater
activity and certainty than in the past.
: Up TO this date the number of schedules
! received relating to agriculture is about
5,Spa, 900. The chief statistican in charge
/ of the details relating to manufactures re-
ports at this time that his work is prac-
/ ticalIy finished and that he has collected
something over 621 coo schedules, as
/ against 800. geo in the former decade, thus
showing very large increase in this part
of he work
at may not be improper here to call
| attention TO the fact that by means of
! the plan adopted in this census the Office
has been enabled to complete the field
| work concerning manufactures more than
year earlier than was done ten years
| ago. 1t required nearly eighteen months
in the last census to collect the manu-
/ featuring schedules, but as the law re-
CURES that this report and the three 9th
ers named above shall be published not
| later than July, 1902, il was absolutely
| necessary to expedite the collection OF
the information in every possible way.
( As result OF the efforts of those in
charge, practically all OF the data is now
I in control of the Office.
| The e2umerators' accounts. numbering
! something over 50 Coo, have all been paid
with the exception of fifty-five whose ac-
counts are held up for various TECHNICAL
ties. IN the last census it took eight OF
ten months to pay all the enumerators
A new method OF handling the enumera-
tors accounts was established by the act
creating the Twelfth Census, which
greatly aided The Office in forwarding the
compensation to those who had well
earned it in making the canvass. All the
| supervisors have been paid with the ex-
ccption OF a few. which have been de-
layed for various reasons.
The cost of the administration of the
bureau up TO tits date. including the ex-
pense incident 20 the preliminary work
as well as the cost Of the enumeration anC
supervision. is S6.361 ,961, of which
ever s., SCI. coo has been expended for SUI
pervision and enumeration.
The field work having been completed
every effort viii now be made to comply
with the Census law regarding the publ.
cation of the reports concerning the foul
general topics named above. The bulletin!
thus far issued have been given to tins
public almost a year in advance of those
given out during the last census