Evening star., 1901-10-25
To Continue Present Organization of
Census Office.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS BILL
Force of Clerks to Be Available
for Transfer.
AN ADMINISTRATION PLAN

representative Hopkins of Illinois rea ched
the city today and he announced that he
had prepared bill to make the census bu-
reau a permanent part of the government,
and that he would introduce the measure
in the course of the first week of the ap-
preaching session of Congress.
In connection with the Introduction of the
bill Mr. Hopkins will recommend that the
1000 present employees of the bureau be re-
tanned In the government service and be
transferred into the other departments of
the government in Washington upon their
request on the recommendation of the di-
rector.
Il believe" said Mr.. Hopkins today, that
Director Merriam has about 1000 employees
left of the 1900 in service when the census
work at its height. Nearly if not quite
all of these 1900 persons have passed the
civil service examination, and through a
feW years of work have become tried,
trained and valuable government employees.
1t would be folly to dismiss them while the
civil service is calling for 1000 or 5000 new
employees yearly. Here is a body of expert
enced clerks the government wants, and so
nave provided in my bill that all may be
retained without further examination
An that will be necessary for census
clerk to get place in another department,
II my bill becomes law, will be the recon-
Provisions of the Bill.
My bill provides for director at $500
a year and an assistant director at $4,000.
appointed by the President 1t continues
in office all the experts of the bureau. In
manufactures, population and other d.
visions, at $1,000 to $1,000 year. 1t also
carries permanently all the chiefs of the
six divisions, at $500, and other minor Off
i'm kql lafn Of he
census bureau organization between the
times of greatest activity.
1.-The, same subdivisions of the bureau as
now exist will be continued. if the bill be-
comes law, and in general the bureau
Will be organized as.i 1t has been under Di-
rector Merriam.
Il wish to say that Ex-Governor Merriam
has made the best director the government
ever has had. He has handled all this vast
business Of details in marvelously thor
ough and expeditions manner. He has
shown the ability to conduct a great de-
partment, and he has won especial praise
by dealing with members of Congress with
out friction. Under my bill his office while
nominally subordinate to the Secretary of
the Interior. is really independent, as it
should be, considering the especial equip
ment required for the place.
A Measure of Economy.
Il shall press my point of retaining the
1000 employees in the government employ
because, after comparatively long service
1t would be hardship on them to shove
them out. Making the bureau permanent
will save the government not only great
deal of trouble and produce more thorough
and accurate results but it will be an
economical measure saving the govern
ment large amount of money in the long
run. The bill will be introduced early to
give the director time to prepare for the
permanent establishment of his bureau
Representative Hopkins Is chairman of
the census committee and his bill will be
regarded as an administra ton measure one
of the things decided on by the adminis-
tration of President Mckinley. Mr.. Hop
klns is the author OF the congressional re-
apportionment bill which is now a law.