Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1906-11-30
Census REPORT ON
MUNICIPAL Finance
DIRECTOR FINDS DEBT OF o,TIKs
OF OVER 5000 IN EXCESS
OF $1,6oo,ooo 900.
TREND OF POPULATION
is TOWARD THE TOWNS
Dr.. North Asserts Department Ginning
Reports Are Worth Millions to Cot.
ton Planters-Asks for More Rigid
Laws.

Washington, Nov. 28-Much Of the
work of the census bureau during the
past year, as disclosed by the annual
report of DR.. S. N. D. North, the direc-
tor, made public Tuesday, related to
the census of manufactures of 1905, to
the preparation and publication OF sta,
tlstics on municipal finance and to the
collection, tabulation and publication
of prompt and accurate reports on tho
cotton crop. The report shows that
the work cost the government $1,249,-
O45, that sum being $235,667 less than
congress appropriated for it.
Estimates of Population.
Annual estimates of the population
of the various states and territories
are made by the census in order to
establish death rates in the vital sta
tistics reports, In 1905 thirteen states
took enumeration Of the population,
the total being 26,7e3.236. The ssti.
mate of the census of the population
of those states, at the same time, was
25,743,311, difference Of only 1925.
DR.. North has planned, In connection
with the annual municipal reports,
series of statistical studies of impor-
tant phases of municipal development,
including parks. markets, paving. sew.
ers, police and fire departments. baths,
schools and libraries. The importance
of statistics of this character is indi.
Gated, the report notes. by the fact
that the present aggregate debt OF
cities of the United States containing
over 5000 inhabitants is in excess OF
$1,000, 100000 or greater than that Of
the combined debt of the national and
state governments and of the counties,
school districts and other minor civil
divisions"
Big Population in Cities.
The director adds: I'm 1900 SO per
cent. OF the people of the United States
resided In cities having population of
5000 and over and in a few decades
over one-half of the people will reside
in those cities. The problem of self
government is therefore becoming one
of city government"
The director advocates the taking OF
quinquennial census of agriculture.
The report says, concerning the cot.
toa reports. it has been the earnest de-
sire of the bureau to bring it's system
Of reporting to the highest possible de-
gree Of efficiency.
"a complete record of the quantity
Of cotton ginned," is states, lis not pos.
sible unless the ginners report accu.
rately the output Of their gins. That
the great majority Of them do this
have no doubt; that many have failed
to do so is made evident by the dis.
tributton report, and in some sections
there are signs Of 2 more or less con-
certed purpose to understate the gin.
nings, In the hope Of thereby ipfuepe.
ing the current market price OF the
crop,
Theirs can be no question that the
census ginning reports have been
worth many millions OF dollars to cot
ton planters by protecting the market
from assaults of SPECTATORS, whose
privately gathered statistics no longer
carry weight when they differ from
those Of the census.n
Director North recommends the en-
actment OF more rigid laws to enable
census officers to secure information.
Copies of census publications to the
number of 656,66S were distributed dur
ing the year, 200,743 being bulletins
and $4,000 cotton reports of the per.
manent census,