Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1901-06-05
INTERESTING CENSUS FACTS.

Mr. w. R. Merriam. Director of the
Census, has written an instructive re-
view of the great work of which he
assumed charge in March, 1899, and
which is still going on in certain sta
tistical lines. The counting of the peo-
pie every tenth year is constitutional
necessity. Congress has enlarged the
scope of the work until the information
to be tabulated covers larger number
of subjects than ever before. Mr.. Mer-
riam considers the treatment of the
census as a merely periodical expe-
dent, great mistake 1t would be
easier and scarcely more expensive to
maintain a nucleus of trained experts
to gather statistics and supplement
The enumeration of inhabitants must,
OF course, be completed in time for
Congress to act in the decennial year,
but the industrial statistics should be
gathered continually, for their utilities
are constant. % count the people re-
quired $4,000 enumerators and 800 SUI
pervisors. The clerical force in Wash
ington numbers $500 and, in addition,
2500 special agents were appointed to
collect manufacturing statistics.
Trained experts are not easily got to-
gether, and Mr., Merriam truly says
that. under the present temporary sys-
TEN, the service is handicapped from
the start.
From the facts of the present census
already known Mr.. Merriam is able to
estimate the number of manufacturing
and mechanical establishments in the
United States at over six hundred and
fifty thousand, a gain over 1890 of no
less than three hundred and fifty thou
sand, or 116 per cent. The results of
the census of manufactures, in Mr.
Merriam's language, will astonish ev-
en- the most optimistic of our citizens"
An e-.ort will be made to show what
combinations of capital have been
formed during the last ten years and
their effect on the value of labor. 1t
has already been announced that there
are 100000 farms in the country, in
volving about 20 per cent. of the ma
tional wealth. Next in order will be
taken up statistical reports on religion,
mining, water, transportation insur-
ance, pauperism, crime and other So
Geological subjects. Mr.. Merriam's
own estimate of the increase of popula-
tion in the United States is 20 per cent.
every ten years for the next two or
three decades. Beyond that period he
is unwilling to go, though he mentions
without dissent an estimated aggregate
of 3O0,0O0,O00 by the year 1000.
What impresses Mr. Merriam most
in the present census returns is the tre-
mendous Industrial advance since 1890.
This form of our national wealth." he
says, will increase with marvellous
rapidity. We are now reaching out to
the four parts OF the globe for mar
kets. American ingenuity and ability
showing themselves in this determina-
tion to take the markets from our COM
petitor's IN the worlds trade" In a |
country in which the number of man
ufacturing and mechanical establish
ments has doubled in ten years, the
collection of statistics should go on
without intermission. There is no
economy in the present plan of deal
ing with experts qualified to get the in
formation required by Congress. Even !
now the taking of the census through |
out its entire scope consumes a num-
ber of years. Congress should care
fully weigh Mr.. Merriam's suggestions,
based on thorough study of the sub
ject and practical experience.