The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1900-06-06
The Twelfth Census.


the United States, undertaken oD CO in
ten years, began June l. Besides
enumerating the population, dividing
them into classes according to sex,
color, age, or other conditions, the sta
tistics cover q wide range. Data re-
lating to industries, manufactures,
commerce, agriculture and thousand
things Of interest to students of affairs,
and which go to make up the sum of
nations greatness, are gathered by
special agents.
The active field work of taking the
census began on Friday, but the equally
important work of preparation began
more than year ago. The taking of
the census is described as simply
great publishing enterprise. The data
the publication will contain is drawn
from an area of nearly 1000 600 square
miles, and to collect it will require the
services of field force of 40 900 men.
At Washington, in the central office,
| 5000 people will be employed in com
piling, editing and arranging the re-
ports of the field force, preparing for
| the printer the matter that will consti-
tute many large volumes which go to
the public as the Twelfth Census Re
port" 1t is vast and important
work, growing in magnitude with each
passing decade of national existence.
In the eleventh census some of the
more important reports were not pub.
lished until 1897, and in the tenth till
1889, when the time for taking the next
census had arrived. These circum-
stances show the magnitude and diff
Guilty of the work, but these long delays
in making public the results of the re-
searches Of the census takers greatly
impair it's value. Congress has there
fore stipulated that the four principal
reports, those on population, mortality,
manufactures and agriculture, OF the
twelfth census, must be published by
July l, 1902. An opportunity is thus
presented for the director of the census
to show what can be accomplished by
system, organization and push.
The field force, in pursuance of it's
part of the work of census taking,
must visit every family in the country
and obtain answers to a set of specified
questions regarding every resident.
The data relating to manufactures and
mechanical industries will be gathered
by special agents, requiring special
skill and experience. Another class of
information is gathered at the central
Office by correspondence and tue exam
instion of printed documents OF va.
rious kinds. In theory, at least, the
enumerators and special agents are
chosen with the utmost care. On their
efficiency and accuracy depends the
trustworthiness of the report. Each
enumerator receives from $50 to $3.50
for his two or three weeks work and
the special agents are paid according
to the value and importance Of their
services.
The magnitude of the work of COM
piling the census is shown by some of
the facts about taking the census pre-
scented in Munsey'S magazine by F. H.
Wines, assistant director of the census
bureau. Each person in the United
States will be represented by card.
The facts concerning each person are
shown by holes punched in the card. A
clerk can transfer from the schedules
to the punch-cards 700 records in one
day. AS soon as the schedules are re-
ceived 900 clerks will be set at work
with the punching machines. This
will mean 100000 cards punched in one
day, and should exhaust the 10000, 900,
the estimated number, in about 100
days. These cards are run through
electric tabulating machines, each one
capable Of taking the information from
5000 cards day. From them 1000
clerks and copyists prepare the copy for
the printers.
The salaries of the 5000 clerks at the
central Office in Washington will
amount to nearly S3,000,000a year.
The pay of the enumerators will foot
up to So, 600, 900 or more. Add to this
the expense of publishing, cost of ma
teriale, pay Of special agents, and it is
estimated that, with the most econom-
ical administration, it will cost Sl6,-
900, 900 to learn how great nation
the United States has become.