The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-11-30
GETTING READY FOR CENSUS.
1t Will Cost The Country Over Four
teen Million Dollars.

ANNA AAthAVh 0NA@%es
Washington, ID. G., Nov 3o.-The di.
erctor Of the census has just issued his
annual report TO the secretary Of COM
merce and labor. After reviewing the
work Of the past year and describing
the current work OF the bureau, the
director proceeds 10 the immensely inn
portant subject OF the next census of
the United States, the census Of 1910.
In regard TO its cost he says, Il es-
innate that the cost OF the Thirteenth
Census, including the cost OF conduct
ing the four annual investigations and
the two biennial reports that the cen
sus Office is required to make stimuli.
taneously with the taking Of that CEN
sus, viii be S14,1t7,000. The lump sum
appropriation to be provided in the ap.
preparation act for the next fiscal year
should be not less than $4,000 000."
Excluding the cost Of the four an
nual investigations and the two bien-
nial reports, the probable cost of the
census proper is estimated at S12,030,.
600. The cost of the last census, that
Of 1900, was s12,520,0o0. In other
words the director is planning to take
the census Of 1910 at an increase in
cost Of only $4,000 over the census
Of 1900, and this in spite OF the enor.
nous growth in the population during
the past decade, a growth largely con-
tiibuted by foreign born people VINO do
not speak English, class which ii is
very expensive and very difficult TO
enumerate.
II the work can be accomplished for
this sum, it will be the first time in
ihe history of the nation that cen
us has been taken and compiled at
practically the same cost as the prior
enumeration. Formerly the Increase
in the cost of the census from decade
to decade has been about so per cent.
and on this basis the cost Of the Thir-
teenth Census proper, exclusive Of the
four annual and the two biennial re-
ports, would be Sls,750,000, nealy Sc.
100000 more than the director esti-
mates the actual cost viii be.
Among the reasons which the direc-
tor assigns for his belief that this en-.
ormous saving can be made he places
first the existence Of the permanent
census Office. He says "The fact that
the Office is now organized at the high
est point Of efficiency, that no time viii
he lost in getting Grady, in testing the
aptitude of green clerks, and in de-
yeloping new systems, means fully
million dollars saving in the organiza-
tion of the Thirteenth Census"
Appointments.
Tgrd first concerns the method of
=. -
ments during the decennial census
period. The census bill now before
Congress provides for a noncompetitive
examination, TO be conducted by the
civil service commission. A "noncom-
petitive" examination means that every
one of the thousands who may pass the
examination will have an equal right TO
and that personal and po-
litical pressure must in the end, as al |
ways before, become the determining
factor with reference to the great body |
- these temporary employments. In
itgard to this the director says: II
can not too earnestly urge that the di |
rector of the census be relieved from
this unfortunate situation. II these
clerks can be appointed as needed in
the order certified from that examina-
tion 1.-THE order of rank in passingl,
better service win be secured than will
otherwise be possible, the efficiency of
the force viii be geratly increased, and
the cost of the census correspondingly
reduced
1t may be noted, however, that tne
director does not recommend an exami-
nation for the. position Of enumerator,
because the service of enumerators is
required for a brief time only, and, |
moreover, as $4,000 are necessary it
would be practically impossible to se-
cure them by examination. For en,m-
orators, he recommends the appoint
ment of students in educational insti-
tutions, either men or women.