New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-03-25
NEW CENSUS METHODS.
THIS CITY TO BE COUNTED MORE AC
CURATELY THAN EVER

SUPERVISOR WILBUR DETERMINED THAT
THERE SHALL BE NO FAULT TO FIND
WITH THE TWELFTH ENUMERATION.
Charles S. Wilbur Supervisor Of the Census
for Manhattan and The Bronx is determined. If
forethought and activity prevent it. that
there shall be no dissatisfaction with the COM
ing enumeration of New-York's citizens such as
there was IN 1890 when a second count. made
by the police raised the figures by about 2oo.ooo
In order to secure almost absolute accuracy,
Mr. Wilbur has been busy with the preliminary
work since the first OF the year although the
actual enumeration will not begin until June l
next and will be all by June 10.
One OF the first things which Mr.. Wilbur had
to tackle was the redivison of these two great
boroughs into enumeration districts. To do
this in such q way that II should furnish just
about two full weeks OF work for each active
enumeration, and yet be certain TO avoid giving
any one man more than he can DO In that time,
involved a close study of the city's population,
practical knowledge Of the territory and lot
Of good common sense. Those who know Mr.
Wilbur best have no doubt that this part OF the
work has been undertaken with the proper
equipment The division made on the gen
eral basis Of the election districts. but in many
cases one election district has been cut into two
enumeration districts where the population
seemed to demand It.
APPROVED BY THE DIRECTOR.
Finally. when Mr. Wilbur had 1t all arranged
in his own mind he reproduced his design in
series of maps. one fer each Assembly district
and also one large map covering both boroughs.
These were forwarded to the Census Director IN
Washington and approved. They now decorate
the walls of Mr.. Wilburs offices in the Pulitzer
Building, and show his entire territory ruled on
into about thousand little parallelograms, IN
which about one thousand enumerators will be
hustIing for two weeks next June, subjecting all
they meet to the mental and moral corkscrews
which they carry around with them in the
shape Of interrogations that must be answered
under penalty of the law. No selections OF
enumerators will be made until the middle OF
May The rate of pay varies according TO the
work done, but each enumerator may earn from
$50 to So in the two weeks for which he VIII
be employed Many women seeking these
places but Mr.. Wilbur has not yet made up his
mind whether TO appoint any or not
TOOK TINE BY THE FORELoCK.
Not only has Mr.. Wilbur made an unusually
early start in his particular field, but Director
Merriam began six months earlier than ever be-
fore to make his preparations for covering the
entire country, and hopes to make the Twelfth
Census more accurate and satisfactory than any
of the eleven which have preceded il. Under
the new law the entire work Of census taking,
tabuIating and publishing the results must be
finished within four years. instead OF running
on indefinitely, has sometimes been the case
In order to prevent discrepancies or apparent
conflicts of statistics Mr.. Wilbur said yesterday
that no announcement Of the result of the count
in Manhattan and The Bronx would be made
from his office That, he said, would only come
authoritauveIy from Director Merriam, in Wash
ington