The Irish standard., 1906-12-01
DIRECTOR FINDS DEBT OF CITIES
OF OVER 5000 IN EXCESS
OF s1,eoo,o 200, 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.


past year, as disclosed by the annual
report of DIR. 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
ti'stics on municipal finance and to the
collection. tabulation and publication
of prompt and accurate reports on the
cotton crop. The report shows that
the work cost the government $1,24s.-
045, that sum being $235, 667 less than
congress appropriated for 1t.
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 25.793.236. The esti-
nlRte of the census of the population
of those states, at the same time, was
25.743,311, a difference of only 1925.
DR.. North has planned. in connection
with the annual municipal reports, a.
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 liz in excess OF
81 500 .000. 900 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 80 per
cent of the people Of the United States
resided in cities having population Of
5000 and over and in few decades
over one-half of the people will reside
in those cities. The problem of self
government Ia therefore becoming one
Of city government"
The director advocates the taking OF
a quinquennial census of agriculture.
The report says, concerning the cot
ton 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. 'is 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 80 is made evident by the dis
tribution report, and In some sections
there are signs of more or less con.
certed purpose to understate the gin,
nings, in the hope Of thereby influence
ing 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 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"
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, 20O.743 being bulletins
and 900 cotton reports Of the per
manent census.