Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-25
CREsYL.NnBuK-
UNCLE SANS CHEF
STATISTIcLAN ON VITAL
oTATI5TIcS.

keys and ascertain that all are correct.
and II an error be discovered the wrong
key can be released and the error rect,-
fed before any punching is done.
Possibly the most interesting fact In
connection with the invention OF this
new machine IS that 1t will enable the
announcement of the total population OF
the country In record breaking time. This
is possible OF accomplishment because I'm
the new machine automatic counters are
attached to the keys. registering on a
dial every time hole Is punched. Thus.
just as soon as there have been punched
the 100000 cards representing the
9o.C0O 900 people of the United States the
census bureau Will be enabled to an
nounce the eagerly awaited totals as to
the different classes of our population
males. females. natives. foreign. white.
colored. married and single. Under the
old system. when all the punching was
done by hand. not a single fact was known
and no figures were available until the
tabulating work was started. With the
new machines-about $50 of which will be
built for the coming census-Director
North expects to he able TO publish the
census returns containing the total popu-
lation Of the country. Its distribution by
states by color, race, sex. marital condi-
tio1 and dozen other facts as soon as the
cards are punched-a feat that could
not have been dreamed Of ten years ago.
when many months were required to tab
ulate and count the cards after they had
been punched
New Tabulating Machine.
The next census will also see the intro
duction Of a new tabulating machine that
marks almost as long step forward
as does the new card-punching machine.
In the new tabulator. as in the old. the
work is performed by pin box with
needle set on a fine spiral spring for
each possible hole in a card. When the
pin box is brought down over each card
in turn the needles. which meet the I'M
punched surface, are repressed. while
those which pass through holes make an
electric contact and cause one or more
counters or dials to register. In the old
machines the counters had to be read
and the results recorded by banda pro-
ceeding productive of many errors-and
then all the dials had to be reset by
hand a time-consuming operation. In
the new machine which has just been
perfected there is an automatic record
ing and printing system on the plan OF
the familiar stock ticker, and the pres
sure of a push button resets all the dials
automatically. A great increase In ca
pacity will result.
The tabulatins machine just invented
is semi-automatic so that there need
be no repetition of the epidemic OF sore
muscles that attended the operation or
the old-fashioned machines. Yet another
new machine will be ready ere the gong
sounds for the coming census. 1t will be
a tabulator wholly automatic in its ac-
ton, for use in handling great quanti-
ties of cards. Experts are now at work
upon this invention in the closely guarded
little machine shop at the census bureau.
and they are also at work upon an auto
matte sorting machine that will suple-
ment the tabulator in its work. All OF
these mechanical aids are bound to SIM
plify the work of the 10000 temporary
and permanent employees Of the govern
ment who will make up Uncle Sans
next demonstrating army.