Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-07-16
COUNTING PEOPLE
Experts Are at Work at Washington
Tabulating the Census Returns
from Each State.
ESTIMATES OF POPULATION
Several Thousand Clerks Are at Work
States Which Will Show the Greatest
Gains in Population Some Inter-
esting Details Of the Work.

The work of counting the twelfth GEN.
sus is progressing rapidly. To-day 624
expert punchers are at work, counting
the names on the 10, 27S portfolios which
have already Deer received. This is a
little Over one-fifth of the schedules yet
to come and they are arriving every
day by the hundreds. 1t is expected that
by the LIST of August every n of the
so, 0S3 will be in hand. The reason for
the delay is the distance from Wash
ington of many of the supervisors.
But as it is, the delay is not at all
embarrassing. 1t was arranged by Di-
rector Merriam to handle the returns
as fast as they arrived, and there are
already enough schedules on hand to
keep the large force busy. The sched-
ules which arrive late will not embar-
rass the office in the slightest degree.
Already 1872 portfolios have been en-
amined and counted.
This work is all done in the pnpula-
ton division, under the direct supervi-
sion of Chief Hunt, who has 1 1873 clerks
already at work of the 1900 allotted to
within the next sixty days. Reports
from supervisors throughout the coun-
| try show the completion of 46.337 dis
tricts out of a total of 52,OS3. OF this
number 1909 are from cities, while 81
279 are from rural districts.
Men who have made a careful study
of the statistics of the United States
venture the assertion that the twelfth
census will show 4 population of more
than $4,000, 600, a gain of more than H.
800, 600 since 1890. These figures do not
include Porto Rico, the Philippines and
other Pacific possessions, but do include
the 10000 population of the Hawaiian
islands. The Philippines have a popu-
lation estimated at $500, 900, and Porto
Rico 1000, 900. The present census of
the country will make the states rank
fourth in point of population, China
leading with more than 400. 900, 900, then
the British empire with colonies her
the Russian empire and then the Unit
ed States.
1t is commonly conceded that Colora-
do will show one of the greatest per-
centages in gain, the tide of immigra-
ton having been very decided during
the last ten years. Other states which
will probably show gains to a marked
degree are Texas, New York, Massa-
chusetts, Wisconsin and Idaho.
If every man, woman and child in the
United States to-day would stand
shoulder to shoulder. they would make
seven rows extending from New York
through Denver to San Francisco.
The millions of returns from all over
the country are to be counted by means
of electricity. electrically operated tab
ulating and computing machines. One
thousand machines capable of record
ing and adding any. number of figures
will continue until December 1. when
it is expected the gigantic job will have
been completed. A thousand clerks will
be employed to transfer the informa-
ton on the schedule sheets to cards 3x6
inches in size. There will be 100, 900, 900
of these cards. They are so arranged
that by punching holes in the proper
spaces information concerning the race,
color, sex, age, etc, of the person Is
and accurately recorded. Small
called keyboard punchers will
used to %perforate the cards. These
ards will be fed into the tabulating |
machines. The holes in the cards con-
.rol the electric circuits which regulate
he counters. The clerical force will be
made up largely of young women gath
red from all parts of the country, who |
AVE been trained for the past six
for the impending work.