The evening times., 1900-04-03
COUNTING THE PEOPLE
Preparations Nearly Complete fer
Taking the Next Census.
TNventy-eight Hundred Clerks will
BE Necessary 10 Perform the Work
sheets To Cards-A Multitude Will
Undertake the Classifying Work.

1t is estimated" said Director Of the
Census ". r. Merriam yesterday, that
at least twenty-eight hundred people Will
be employed in the work of transferring
the enumerators' sheets TO cards and of
counting these latter by means Of the
electrical machines employed.
The Census Office has had considerable
difficulty in securing a clerical force capa-
bic of doing this work, the operating of
the card-p punching and tabulating ma
chimes requiring a thorough knowledge of
their work ng and greet rapidly. The sys-
TEN Ct examinations for testing the capa-
bility Of applicants for this branch OF the
census work was begun in the early part
Of last year. and out of the entire number
Of those examined about onehalf failed
10 pass
The large space in the singie-stOry part
Of the census building. which is divided
into TWO great rooms, is being rapidly made
ready for the two thousand clerks who will
be at work in Them when the enumerators
returns commence to come in after June
next Al present the work being carried
on in these rooms is the examination of
the test sheets which have been sent TO
The enumeTators nominated by the super
Nisors in order 10 test the capability of
the former for their positions. This work
viii in all probability be completed some
time before June J. when the actual work
of enumeration will begin. Each of the
two large rooms or galleries devoted TO
the classifying and tabulating of the re-
turns will accommodate a thousand clerks.
I..H rl fro
proof vault for the storing of the sched
Ules. and also room for storing the cards
which are 20 he used in connection with
The tabulatimg machine. There will be
about leo 0e0 GOO of these cards.
1t is proposed 10 employ about l,00J
clerks in transferring data from enumCr-
ators' sheets 10 cards about three by six
inches in size. This is 10 be done by irst
preparing a card for each person emu
merated showing all ,he characteristics Of
such d person. The cards TO be used for
this purpose are printed with letters and
symbols sc arranged that by punching
holes in the proper spaces the following
information concerning each individual
enumerated is obtained: Race. sex. color,
areg, conjugal condition. birthplace Of
person. Of father. mother years IN the
United States. occupation. school attend
ance etc. These cards though Cnly
4-EsA' li an lLtu III AltthItoS. Nbuil tOt III
a stack. if piled che on another, about
nine miles high and they will weigh
about 2o0 tons. The transcription from
the original returns Of the euumerator TO
the punched card viii be done with small
machines. something like :ypcNTiiers.
called keyboard Iunchers. Abou; coo OF
these viii be used and the entire wori, o.
trausaribing the =. coo CT more in
dividual reCurds viii b. done in about
d grl. .Fsrtr - hS
When his work is accomplished. The
punched record cards VIII be counted, or
tahulated IN the electrical tjbUlating
machines. These machines are at once
simple and wonderful in operation. The
press under which the perforated record
card is placed consists Of number of
needles hung on delicate springs SO that
needle can only pass through punch
ed hole. Upon tEeir doing so they connect
with an electric circuit operating the dial
board which faces the operator Each
needle connects with separate dial which
is read off b. the operator while another
electric circuit opens the lid of the par
ticular box designed for the reception Of
the card. Each dial in the tabulaung ma
chine records Of course. the same fact as
the hole in the punched card. and if ans
gross mistake is made in the card, such
as a record Of two birthplaces for the
same individual the machine immediate
IN detects /, and refuses to record the
card The machine in this latter instance
refuses TO ring a bell which indicates the
establishment of the electric current ana
the mistake is consequently apparent 10
the operator.
The dials or counters of the tabulating
machine Go not record facts concerning
individuals, but group these under certain
districts as TO the number of whites. ne
groes. married persons, etc. contained in
the district. or any other class of facts
which it is desired TO tabulate.
After the cards for given district pass
through the tabulating machine there is
known the number of native-born white
males Of voting age, the number of white
children under five wears Of age born in
this country with both parents native
born or the number Of such children with
one or both parents foreign born. or any
other information contained in the emu
meratCrs' sheet which the statistician de-
Sires tabulated. II is only necessary. il
is said for the statsjician to decide upon
the information wanted. and for the cleo
tricfan to make the proper connection from
the counters and relays TO the circuit-con-
trolling device into which the cards are
fed
Al least eight hundred clerks and mes
sengers viii be employed to tabulate the
result derived from the punching ma