New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-06-23
CENSUS WORK EXPLAINED
DIRECTOR MERRIAM ISSUES A STATE
MENT To APPEASE INIPATIENCE
OF THE PUBLIC

Washington. June Tex Governor Merriam. thu
Director Of the Census. to-day made the following
statement for the information Of the public:
The Census ONCE is now In receipt Of many let
Of the census in particular localities and especially
IN ne larger cities Il does not appear 70 cecur
taken. The law allows Uut June Is IN cities OF 500
It's completion. and after that the schedules have
70 Dc examined by the supervisors CT census before
they can be forwarded 20 Washington, IN order
that the supervisors may determine whether the
Mork mas neen satis5actorily d-ne and may oe
enumerators' accounts for service rendered under
In order to apPease the inPatienee OF the public
the following statement mas been prepared. show
ing what has 20 be done with the census returns
when received at Washington. and why It must
be weeks or even months before the figures can be
Every enumeration IS required 70 iii daily report
card showing how many n0urs and minutes he has
Oecn az work and now many persons re has
special eruIlerators for institutions ana for the
military and naval populati'ni approXimateiy ATTY
number OF datv report cards 70 be examined In the
Census Office somewhere between one million
and million ana a half every one Of Which has
statements Of which there is one for every emu
rrarv sfara-1sr- -t,7f-e- -. si10rt ~ work n
each supervisors district and since there is space
Sn ech blank LOT TgcoIns 5g EoT T q b Gls H 7
be filed. there Will be 2proxiUately one thousand
1t Is d1eqt , for one not H. familiar l w94
of material to be hand, in ali OF the divisions OF
the Office. The numhe- z boxes containing sched-
ules sent 70 the enUme tors ~ advance OF taking
the fOrJy-fi hundred. and their total
weight was estimated a. three hundred tons Al OF
thls material IS returned 70 Washington. where II
has 20 De sorted and arranged in order by
states and the subdivisions Of states upon SlelV-
ing agSreSating several mixes in length There -
an invoice OF schedules every received
which has 20 be verified and the schedules which
do not relate 10 population must be counted and
delivered 20 the chef Sta-istiCiaES Tor mortality
agriculture and manufactures. and their receipts
taken for the same. \ separate receipt has 20 be
made out by each Of them for each OF the ATTY
three thousand enuInera-ors.
Next in order follows the examination in detail OF
the schedules Every schedule has 70 be examined
in order 10 that the euuT.eratCr has not made
an OverCharge for MS services For this purpose
the schedule has TO be compared with the account
rendered by him Every possible effort viii be
made the e1umeratOTS the earliest prac-
three thousand bills presented for payment IN one
day could not be audited and paid a sight
The schedules then go 70 the clerks employed IN
punching cards for the HOilerith electric Jabulatin
machines. When these cards have been punched
they have 10 be verified by the OF a special
which does not fulfil certain conditions OF accuracy
IN punching count of tae population VIII be
made, during this VeridCatiOn by color, by and
by native or foreign birth, which VIII consume pos
Stbly five or SIN months Not until this machine
shall have been made fO- any particular city,
publication The cities viii aturclly be taken up
first. and fast the actual population.
turned by the enuneratOTs. + aSceTtatued 10 viii
he posted on bulletin beard in the hall outside
the Directors room for the infOrrna ton or the
press. Figures given OUT by the Census Office
may in some cases approximate The truth. but
unauthorized and uutruScvvCr--y.