The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-03-21

mend the best graduate student in each
case for a position in the census ONCE.
AT the start salary of only 500 was Of
fered, since it was felt that the position
was not unlike that of a university fell
lowship, which seldom pields more than
that amount. At present eight such clerks
are employee, and the corps viii probably
be increased.
This census school Is already at wark
Both by direct correspondence, and also
through the efforts Of the State Depart
ment, the last census Of all countries
have been obtained, and studies are now
in progress which involve comparisons be-
tween the figures for the United States
and those of other countries. For exam
pie, one Of the men has today been fgur-
ing the medium point for the wheat pro-
duction OF the United States for the year
1880. 1t was found to lie almost exactly
in the Mississippi River, about half way
between the northern and the southern
part Of Illinois. In the ten years imme-
diately preceding it had moved across the
state and also a little To the southwark
Another student had been figuring on the
concentration of the ages, and he finds
by neat mathematical calculation that
people more commonly understate than
overstate their age. This might be sur
missed even without statistics, but
mathematical demonstration of the fact
is interesting. 1t was reached through
the well-known tendency, vexatious 10 all
census workers which people show 10
give their ages in round numbers. This
student took sets of five-year grougs-2S
/ to 81, 80 TO 81, IS to 42-and then took the
five-yeaf groups % TO g. 80 to 81. 90 10 80.
OF course, the concentration was on the
multiples of five, and particularly on the
multiples of ten. but one might think peo-
pie would concentrate on thirty from
both sides about equally. Such IS not the
case. If that were so. the numbers in the
first series would decrease more evenly
than in the second, when. as a matter of
fact, the second is the more even series.
Little difference is found in the concen-
tration of the two sexes on round num-
bers
Another student has been figuring on
the median age in different parts of the
country and in different states. He found
that the median age in the Southern
States is four years under that in the
North. Population is more youthful there
Particularly is this the case with the col
ored people, who have more children, and
do not as a rule, live so long. But even
if confined to the whites of the two parts
Of the country, the median age Is much
less South than North The regions OF
greatest age are in the Northeast and the
far West: in Maine and Vermont this is
largely becauset he younger element has
moved away. and in the far West because
the immigration into it has been SO large
ly of men that there are few small child
rem
Wonderful as is the electrical tabulat-
Ing machinery employed in the last CEN
sus, it is said that quite extensive i'm
provements are under way. The best
treatise on the American application of
electricity to statistical work has been.
written by Rauchberg, an Austrian. The.
Hollerith system, introduced in 1880, Is
wonderful in its simplicity. ItwA then
described at length in these columns. but
is worthy of another notice. Fo} each
person in the United States a card about
six inches by three is prepared. IT Is o.
vided up into rectangles of various sizes,
averaging, perhaps. square inch. shd
each reserved for the possible answers
to a. single question. One little square,
for example, contains the answers to the
question. What is your race? Five posi-
BILE races are recognized in the United
States census: Caucasian, negro Gnclud-
ing all grades) Indian, Chinese, and Ma
lay OF the inch space a contain part is
reserved for each of the five possible an
swers. which are indicated by a hole at
a particular point on the card. After
card has had all the facts regarding an
individual punched into 1t in this way, 1t
is placed in a machine, and a press con-
there are possible holes in the akpjSed
tanning a system of blunt-pointed pins
brougA, Town over It, There ars as many
pins as there are possible holes in the card.
The points move easily on springs, so
they are pushed back yhere the card Is
unbroken, but pass through and touch
mercury wherever the hole has been
made thus completing an electrical cir
cult. In that circuit is interposed a coun-
ter. and there is one counter for each
class of facts to be tabulated. The cur
rent passing through the set OF counters
reserved for race passes on to the next
set. which is reserved for sex; here are
two counters, one for male and one for
female persons. The next set is reserved
for age, and so on. F. E. =.