Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-06-06
ALL THE MISTAKE
MIL Be CORRiil,5;IED
Present Census, Altho Most Ac-
curate Ever Taken in Iowa,
Could Be Improved
PROF. PArERsoN,s SUGGESTIONS
He Advocates a Legislative Appropria-
ton Covering the Entire Work and
Placing Control of the Enumerators
in the Hands Of the Executive
counciI-safesuard Against Padding.
Special to Times-Republican.

Special to Times s-Republican.
Des Moines, June 6-The system
that is being employed in the tabula-
ton of the state census is such that it
is impossible in the tabulation of the
population cards to make a mistake
that will not be detected. If a clerk
in sorting the cards of one county for
certain information places one card in
the wrong position the next time the
cards are handled the mistake will be
discovered and the error will have to
be rectified before the clerk can pro-
ceed.
professor w. r. Patterson is now al
work on the tables and forms in which
the information is to be printed. He
occupies the lieutenant governors
room for his office. The report from
the auditors of counties giving county
statistics as % the expenditures of the
supervisors and other information, are
now being received and Professor
Patterson has just completed getting
ready the circular that is to be sent
to the mayors of cities for reports,
These reports will cover all city mat
ters such as money spent for paving,
water works, light, sewer libraries, city
buildings and other such matters. The
mayors will receive the sheets in a
few days.
While Professor Patterson believes
that the present census is the most
accurate that has ever been taken in
the state he still believes there could
have been Improvement had the legis-
lature followed his suggestion and
made an appropriation covering the
1.-THE enumerators in the hands of the
executive council. Professor Patterson
suggested a bill appropriating $240, oOO
There has been expended by the
counties now about 100000" said
Professor Patterson, today. There is
allowed for the work Of tabulating the
census $4,000 and it will take about
that. There is all but s25,00O of what
I suggested and it will take that to
print the report. 1t will cost all that
/ estimated to gather the facts and
tabulate and print the report. The
money all comes out of the pockets Of
the people, the only difference being
that by this method the state tax is
held down and the county tax run up
a little.
Had we the enumerators complete
ly under our control there would be
an opportunity to make some improve
ments and we could have gathered the
facts more accurately. This method
has been adopted by South Dakota and
number Of other states. Mr.. Dawson
did a good thing in introducing the
books There are books which contain
just 1000 spaces for names. We have
the name of the person enumerated
on the cards and also the names in the
books. The books are of no service
whatever to me in tabulating the in
formation and in themselves may new
er be of any value whatever to the
state. But they are there and are a
safeguard against padding. No assess
or will pad a solitary name for the
reason that the names are in that book
and it would be a simple matter to
turn the book over to authorities for
an investigation. We have evidence
llldJ III IHOIC IIltH OIlC ltlSIduCG IHG
enumerators We're urged to pad but
were stopped by the fact that the
names on the cards had to correspond
to- the names in that book and the
book was available any time to place
in the hands of special enumerator
to make an investigation.
"Just now the work is in a stage
where there is a great deal of work
but not so much of a showing. In a
month from now the work of getting
the information in tables ready for the
printer will begin. We already have a
great deal of the information tabu-
lated. But the form it is tabulated in
is not always the form it will be print
ed in. We want to print the informa-
ton in such shape that it will be of
greatest service to the general pub
lic"
Evidence is not lacking that at the
taking of the federal census five years
ago there was wholesale padding in
many of the cities of the state. There
are instances where there arc losses
shown when the present census is
compared with that of five years ago
and yet it is known that these same
towns have made a very substantial
gain. For this reason it is quite pos
sible that the state will not show as
much of gain when the state figures
are compared with the federal figures
as has actually taken place. BY the
federal method the enumerators wera
paid stipulated sum for each person
enumerated and there was therefore
every inducement to skip those per-
sons where a walk of several blocks
was necessary to enumerate them and
to fill in as many fake names as pos
BILE without being caught There has
been the closest scrutiny of the present
state census and the mistakes of for
mer enumerations are being corrected
II, tIic