Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-21
TO ADMIT DISTRICT
Apportionment for Temporary
Census Clerks.
APPEAL TO THE SENATE
Amendment to Deficiency Bill to Be
Proposed.
URGED BY DIRECTOR DURAND
Disadvantages of Forcing Selections
From Distant States Which Have
Not Filled Quotas.
URGED BY DIRECTOR DURAND

Tho Senate viii be asked to add TO the
deficiency appropriation bill an amend
mcnt rejected by the House on a point
Of order. facilitating the appointment Of
temporary clerks in the census bureau.
The amendment provides as follows:
In the selection made from eligible
registers required to he established by
section . of the act TO provide for the
thirteenth and subsequent decennial GEN.
suses. approved July 2. 1909. the appor-
tionnent required by said section shall
be made without reference to the number
of persons already employed in the CLASH
fed service who may be charged to the
quota Of each state and territory or the
District of Columbia
Urged by Director Durand.
The necessity for the legislation is ex-
planned by Director Durand In letter, as
follows:
1.-The following is the provision Of Sec
ton of the thirteenth census act with
regard to apportionment:
- Copies of the eligible registers SO
established. and the examination papers
of all eligibleS, shall be furnished the d.
rector of the census by the civil service
commission, and selections therefrom
shall be made by the director of the
census. In conformity with the law of ap-
portionment as now provided for the
classified service In the order of rating
1T Is not clear from this language
whether the additional employees of the
census are to be treated as part OF the
general apporioned service of the gov
eminent, or whether they are to be ap-
portioned separately on the basis OF the
general rules applied throughout the serv-
ice. If the former is the case. the great
mo Tor of he mi ID
have TO come from western and southern
states. which have not their full quota in
the present apportioned service. and COM
parauvely few would be taken from the
eastern states, which have more than
their quota In the present service. II was
apparently the intention OF Congress.
however that the apportionment of the
census employees should be separate from
the general apportionment, SO that each
state would have a share Of the addt-
ing substantially to its population. The
civil service commission consider the lam
guage insufficient to make clear which
me. hod Is intended.
Separate Apportionment Desired.
TT is exceedingly desirable from the
standpoint of the census office that the
Of the temporary force
should be independent of the general APP
OF the government employees.
The average time of employment of the
additional clerks In the census office will
be about one year and hundreds of them
will be employed not to exceed SIX
months. Many OF those who pass the eX
from western and southern
states will doubtless hesitate about ac
cepting such temporary position and
extensive correspondence would often be
necessary in order to Ali a position. More
over. when an employe had once come
to the census from a distant state, he
would be likely to consider 1t a hardship
ii he were dropped from the rolls within
a few months or a year. and would bring
great pressure to bear to secure his reten-
ton for more than the average prod
of census employment Any method which
would tend to increase the number Of en-
ployes coming from distant states alb
normally, by using the census force to
balance up, inequalities in the present ap
portionment. would evidently increase
these difficulties.
TO take an abnormally large proper
ton from any one group of states would
also render it necessary to appoint many
people whose ratings in the examinations
were relatively low. preferring them over
people who had passed with higher rat
ings from a state to which only a small
number of appointments could be al
lotted.