The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-06-25

II .e-Cl ans mas Tor It's president Mrs
Matte Mcclure
In a recent article on the can=,-z
Bureau William Z. Curtis. the special
correspondent OF the Chicago Record
Herald, - says.
All Of the statistical publications os
the United States Government. those Is
sued By the State, Treasury. and Agri-
cultural departments. as vel as the
Census Bureau, are very much ahead of
similar publications by European 7a-
tons England comes nearer 10 US than
any other country, but, while the French
ana Germans have reduced their stats
teal reports TO a scientific basis. r7ur=7
more complete than ours. there iz "a
much detail as TO make them confusing
10 the ordinary student. and the deras-
N their publication makes them almost
useless.
The prompt publication OF the mann
IactuTIng statistics Of the late Census /
greatly enhances their value. They ere
I'VE figures Il is less than two years
since tney were taken Never before /
have students and statfsticians bAap a5,1a
70 obtain similar Information so soon
after It's collection. The work has been /
done with extraordinary care and Ir#
telilgence- and the accuracy OF the r-e--
ent census VIII not be questioned asi
was that Of 1899
The plan and scope Of the manu- /
featuring census embraced the name ami
location OF ever. establishment In the
TED states; the character Of the CT
gan1zation- whether individual or co
operative; the character OF the business.
kinds and amount o. goods rnanufac+-
@ rla- ~.F
employees, etc; the amount Of wages
quantity and cost of materials.
Jbe quantity and value of product and
me character Of power and machines
employed This Information was sought
by schedules OF inquiries. which we're
sent 10 every manufacturing establish
nent throughout the United States. and
Of 644,o58 reports tabUlated 533. 40 were
mace upon general schedule CONTAINING
Ten questions. with numerous subaues-
ions There we're also thirty-tv-o zur-
sial schedules from which were gathered
me statistics OF the most important
and complicated OF the national indus
-ries-
Special agents. each an ezEert in
l5s own line. were iuE-usted with rhs
duty Of revising and ta5ulafi1g the IN
oTmation gathered on these special
'cnedules- because such experts are nor
10 ne ib-l4 IN ne clerical force Of a
temporary Census Office Their services
'annot be commanded for ;he salaries
ahich the law provides. However with (
No establishment OF permanent J
-enSus Once II VIII not be necessary L
% employ such persons. The perma- ]
tent Census Office viii gradually gather J
Is OWE experts in every branch OF in 1
-ufry-
The amount Of obviously erroneous q
Information received AZ the Census Of q
ice IN reply 70 the inquiries addressed s
o manufacturers was astounding Many 2
u The schedules revealed upon their s
ace purpose 10 nlzIead and deceive q
1ils many others showed an otrfg.7s e
alsapprehensign OF the significance ard !.
Importance OF the questions asked. P7I- g
was easy 10 detect such receptions
art OF the questions served IS q eFse.-f- &
Dou the accuracy OF the answers given =
o others. and, in The case Of am 5n-- q
oFtant establishments, it was possible 2
e7TTect the errors by correspondence p
Great care was taken 20 protect ne Il
zcrets Of individual establishments O.
nd no figures have been published
Mich would directly or indirectly
lolate The confidence imposed in me
auSuS Once It is somewhat renarr.-
PIE that previous TO the census OF 1890 T
o efigTTS we're made to avoid discIe=rHr-
ich individual operations. bu5 I'm 1890
M 2Ealn a 1850 general rule was
'ia5l-sAed that no statistics should De- "a
-hlished senarateIy for less than three -,
Establishments &.