The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-09-10
UNCLE SAM READY
TO COUNT FILIPINOS
Complete Census of the
Archipelago to Be Taken,
PRESIDENT TO ISSUE ORDER
Schedules Have Arrived From Manila
and Papers Ready for Execution.
Provisions of the New Law-WIIl Be
First Complete Enumeration Made.

Il census Of the entire Philippine
Archipelago is TO be undertaken, and
before the end OF the present. year the
first complete count of the inhabitants
ever taken. and the only one since that
Of the Spaniards n 1887. viii be made.
The census will be in accordance with
section Of the Philippine civil govern
ment act Of Congress. approved July 1,
1902, which provides that as soon as
the existing instruction" in the ISL
ands has been quoted she President
should order a census to be taken by
the Philippine Commission The law
provides that the inquiry shall be taken
in population, race, language, literary
in population, Iiteracy, and industrial
and financial statistics. both as TO the
archipelago and as 10 the islands sep
arateIy- The law also provides that
the President may employ the services
OF the Census Bureau in the compila-
ton and PRONUNCIATION Of its statistics.
Formal Order Not Yet Issued
The formal order to carry out the
law has not yet been issued, although
the papers are all ready for the Presi-
dents signature The schedules have
come to Washington from Manila and
have been approved. The Census Bu-
reau viii undoubtedly tabulate and pub
fish the results Of the census. but the
enumeration. il is believed, can best be
undertaken by the force to be organ
lied for the purpose in the Islands, il
being essential that persons familiar
with the localities and prevailing Ian
guage and dialects should be employed.
The expense Will be borne by the
{ insular treasury. The commission is
fortunate in having the assistance ana
advice in Manila OF Gen Joseph p San
ger, who supeTintended the censuses OF
Cuba and Porto Rico. and IS regarded
as the highest authority on the work
now TO be undertaken IN the Philip
pines
1t is expected that such careful cen
sus as is contemplated viii settle May
disputed questions about the population
OF the islands, which are thought to con-.
tain over ! ,000. 600 inhabitants, and par
ticularly IN regard TO the vital statistics,
the death rate and the rate ii increase
OF decrease in the pogulatiou-
A bureau Of statistics was established
at Manila nearly two years ago. The
most important investigation Of this
bureau in the last twelve months was
that concerning the population.
The Spanish Way.
The Spanish Government got its pop
uIation statistics from the assessment
lists for tribute and the parocniaI rec
ords kept By the Church There was no
way in which the number of persons be
longing to the mont Christian tribes COLD
be ascerJaiued.
The returns from these two sources
Almost always confirm one another. the
difference being, as rule, only ,sIrh as
might readily be accounted for by the
slight difference in time.
Probably on account OF .he ease with
which the population could be asyer-
tanned from these two sources the Span
ism government took only ons census IN
dependent OF them. That was in the
year 1887. and was datel as OF December
81 Il seems to nave re IN = house to-
house canvass, q sep2raJe lsat!cJ Icing
used Tor each mai, woman, AM CEiid
in the islands, excepting, Of course,
those Of the independent tribes.
Believed to Be Accurate.
The general plan o. this census. the
form and contents Of the schedules, the
regulations and Instructions Inder whicn
it was taken, were all of sJtcn "a char
acter as TO warrant the expectation OF
fairly accurate res lis
The most striking f-ature OF TIE Span
ish tables is the slow growth that is in
dicated- With a death rate which in
normal years-that is, in years not
marked by some epidemic or other dis
aster affecting the whole cOmmunity-is
between thirty and thiEty-five per 1000.
and a birth rate Of over fifty per 1Oo0.
/ the increase which might be expected is
much greater than appears.
Violent Epidemic.
The fact is that the growth Of the pop
ulatIon has been restricted ~ violent
epidemics Of the most sweeping char
aeJer 4 single epidemic 81 smallpox,
cholera. plague. Influenza. Or some other
disease viii easily sweep away The Eat-
uraI growth for several years. thus,
lin 1879 the death rate IS reported IS
hoes per / GOO against birth rate Of 43-4