Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-11-28
CENSUS BUREAU WORK
EXPENDITURE MUCH LESS THAN
THE APPROPRIATION.
Series Of Statistical Studies in Rela-
ton to Municipalities Planned by
DR.. North.

Much of the work Of the census bureau
IN the past year, as disclosed by the annual
report of DR.. s. N. D. North, the director,
made public today, related to the census
of manufactures of 1905, to the preparation
and publication of statistics on municipal
finance and to the collection, tabuIation
and publication Of prompt and accurate
reports on the cotton crop. The report
shows that the work cost the government
$l249,O45, that sum being $235, 667 less than
Congress appropriated for it.
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 statistics reports. In
1908 thirteen states took enumerations of
the population. the total being %, 1913 1885,
The estimate of the census Of the popuia-
ton of those states, at the same time, was
257S,S11, difference of only 1925.
Municipal Statistics.
DR.. North has planned, in connection
with the annual municipal reports, series
of statistical studies of important phases
of municipal development, including parks,
markets, paving, sewers, police and fire de-
partments, baths, schools and libraries The
Importance of statistics of this character
is indicated, 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 81 600 900 600 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" 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 re-
side in those cities. The problem of self
government is. therefore. becoming one Of
city government"
The director advocates the taking of a
quinquennial census Of agriculture.
The Cotton Reports.
The report says, concerning the cotton
reports. that it has been the earnest desire
of the bureau to bring its system of re-
porting to the highest degree Of efficiency.
"a complete record Of the quantity of
cotton ginned" 1t states, 'is not possible
unless the ginners report accurately the
output Of their gins. That the great ma
jority Of them do this, 1 have no doubt;
that many have failed to do so Is made
evident by the distribution report; and in
some sections there are signs of a more or
less concerted purpose to understate the
ginnings, in the hope of thereby influencing
the current market price Of the crop. There
can be no question that the census ginning
reports have been worth many millions of
dollars to the cotton 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"
Director North recommends the enact
ment of more rigid laws to enable census
officers to obtain information.
Copies of census publications to the num-
Der of 658,66S were distributed during the
year, 200,745 being bulletins and 800 900 cot
ton reports OF the permanent census