The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-12-30
70 TAKE CANADA'S CENSUS.
COUNT OF POPULATION TO BEGIN
IN APRIL NEXT.
Last Enumeration Inaccurate ana
MisHeading-Record of Similar
work in the Past-Recent Large
rmmiwr.tton From American Side

Special Dispatch TO the Post-lnteiiigencer
OTTAWA. Dec 2s.-Canada is making
preparations to count her widely sepal-
ated family. The fourth decenniai CEN
sus OF the dominion viii be taken ourins
the first week of April next, but the 'asn
Of enumeration viii require at ieast olr IN,
month in which to complete IL It VIII
cost about three-quarters OF million
dollars 10 take the Canadian census, ana
II viii occupy the space OF three years U
complete the whole work The census o.
Great Britain will be taken on SUNDAY,
the sfst OF March, and the enumeratio ~, -
supposed to be made in one DAY. IN aIio
Same plan is adopted in France ana De-
GUM but in each of these cases no az
tempt Is made to do more than secure .
count OF the heads Of population, wniie IN
Canada, as in the United States. the Gus.
tom has been to aim at securing correot
record Of the Industrial life OF the couh-
try and other data.
To make the forthcoming solemn IN
quest Of the nation" and to complete inc
Canadian census Of 1901 will require "a
small army Of between 5000 and fo.vv
enumerators and other officials. The isst
decennial census OF the dominion Is con-
coded to be unreliable In almost every re-
spect, and in many instances the census
returns were fagrantly cooked to serve
the purposes of the Conservative party
the last census was the endeayor TO snow
up the industrial progress Of Canada un,
der the Conservative fiscal policy, anu
consequently this record was absuraiy IN
fated For instance, that census c ss1,
tanned the statement that between 1921
and 1859 about Il, geo new Industrial instt-
tutions hossomed into existence, wnicp,
however. were shown to have empfoSeo
only 1l2.000 hands In their operation.
Among these industrial establishments
a record is given of the development OF
knitting factories. which employed one
or two hands. showing the average carr earn
ing for each hand of Is cents per weeS-
But marvellous as was this knitting IN
dustry, its development paled before enc
carpet making business Of New bruns-
wick province This latter inaus. s!xtab.
lishments In 1881 to $50 In 1891. while = cal,
| culation from the collective wages showe-1a
that each paid out in wages less tnan y
| cents per week So generous also were
| the enumeratoTs In the application OF the
| do ture system, which allows for tne
| counting OF temporary absentees. tma ny
there were included in the returns OF 1881
men who had not had a residence In TINS
| country for upwards of a quarter OF
| century. In taking the next census the
| government will guard against extraSa-
gances of this character, and In order 70
| secure absolute accuracy the count VIII
| be taken under both the de jure and De
| facto systems.
Census Taking I'm the Past.
Census-taking is an old institution IN
Canada The first official census OF New
| France as It was then called. was taken
| In 1866. little more than half century
after Champlain laid the foundation OF
| Quebec. The population Of the country
| was found to be s,2l5 souls. During the
| remainder of the seventeenth century
| eight censuses of New France were
| taken. and twelve in the eighteenth GEN.
| fury. When. In 1870, the year In which
| the first census OF the United States was
taken. the population q 80 the n, American aa,
| lation at that date of what Is now the
| Dominion OF Canada was 10000. In 1861
| all the Canadian provinces were taken.
except British Columbia. but ten years
| later all were enumerated. The census
| of 1881 and that of 1891 were taken on the
| 5th Of April. the date then fixed for CEN
sustaining throughout the British em-
| pire. IL IL probable that the Canadian
| census of 1901 will be an imperial census
also, although It is not the best time OF
| the year for getting about this country.
| In spite of all its padding. gross In
accuracies and misstatements, the last
| dominion census was most disappointing
and discouraging to Canadians The to-
| tai increase In population fell far below
| general expectations. In some of the
Provinces the population remained about
| stationary while In one. New brunswick.
| there was an actual decrease. 1t Is an
| ticipated that the showing at the coming
| census will be most reassuring In regard
TO population, as well as to the Industrial
| development and national progress gener-
| ally. immigration during the past four
| years has enormously increased In the
| West. and the number of actual settlers
| In that region has reached figure
| hitherto unprecedented In Canadian his
| tory.
| Immig grants From American side.
A feature In the present immigration
| statistics OF the dominion Is found In
| the extensive movement across the bor-
| der which IL going from the Western
| states. Mr. Frank Pedley. Canadian SUI
perintendenf of immigration. who has
| just returned to Ottawa from a trip
| through the Western states, reports that
| the work done during the past season
| has been highly satisfactory. The
| number OF new settlers whom Western
| Canada received from the American side
| was not only large, but these people were
| of the best class. He calculated that
| about 1900 farmers had arrived In Cana
i da from the United States during the past
| summer. and that with their money and
I effects they brought with them about
| s. No0,e0 OF capital.
| The Canadian agent In Nebraska, for
instance, reports that from January 10
| November he sent TO Canada 800 farm
1 ers. They took with them money and
effects TO the value OF 81. 0oe.Oo0. The
1 Minnesota agents sent 200. with prop
erty amounting To $50, CO... Michigan con-
| tributed 1000 persons. and South Dakota
800. The outlook for a large migration
i of farmers and others from ahe Western
| states into Canada early next spring.
| Mr. Pcdley says. was never brighter and
Il a s.sxf. k.V4. -