Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-04

responsible for Il are not willing to permit
the public to assume that the census will
be accurate down TO the dollar and the
cent. They viii say frankly that while the
accuracy Of their figures is sufficient for
all fair use Of statistics. no one Is Justified
in using them as being exactly correct in
every instance; that while the margin OF
error Is not large enough to vitiate their
value In any important particular, they
are not sufficiently accurate to warrant
the assumption that they contain no errors
at all. For instance, Mr.. Durand points
out that the recent census Of manufactures
shows the value Of the products to be S13,-
@s, $50, s17, and that the slightest considera-
ton will show that those figures might
miss the mark Of such a huge total by
tens Of millions OF dollars, and still not
injure the statistical value Of the data.
He proposes to boil down the errors to the
lowest possible point and then express mis-
totals in round numbers.
At the last census the statistics Of agrl-
culture we're tAbulAted by means OF
punched cards after the fashion Of the pop
ulation statistic. All told, 212, 900, 900 cards
were used, more than half Of them for ag-
ricultural data, Stacked one upon the
other, they would rave made a stack over
twenty-five miles high. This year the tab
ulation OF the agricultural statistics will
not be carried out by the punched card
system. Instead, typewriters with adding
machine attachments will be used to tabu-
late the results OF the information gathered
from the 100000 farms OF the country.
1t will require 80, OOO,O 900 cards to tell the
story Of the population schedules stack
ten miles high, Each Of these will be
passed through the tabulating machines six
times, so that more than half a million
electrical connections will be made and
registered in tabulating the population.
One may get a striking lesson on the
costliness Of small errors from a statement
made by Director Durand. In the case Of
farm statistics the enumerator sometimes
makes the mistake OF adding or leaving off
a cipher in reporting the number OF bushels
Of grain raised on a given farm. To follow
up all these errors and check off the obvi-
Gus ones. after the method pursued by the
Twelfth census, would cost, It is estimated,
several hundred thousand dollars. By
using the typewriter-addlng machine It is
expected that such errors in a column Of
figures will be 80 patent that the trained
eye can detect them without the necessity
Of editing the Individual schedules.
A careful check is kept upon each punch
Ing machine operator to make sure that
she is not hitting the wrong keys. While
It is not possible to compare 10000, 900 cards
with the schedules from which they are
punched, except at an unreasonable outlay
Of time and money, a certain number Of
cards selected at random from each opera
tors work will be compared with the
originals, and II she is found to be making
serious errors, she will be informed
promptly hat she will rave to do better
or turn her machine over to someone who
will. These comparisons will be made as
often as those in charge think necessary
to insure approximate accuracy. So far as
the cards that are not sufficiently punched
are concerned, the tabulation machine re-
fuses to give its approving ring when one
OF them passes through, and stops until the
card is taken out. For instance, every card
must tell whether the person 1t represents
is male or female. II that fact is not
registered on the punched card. the ma
chine will throw the card out.
1t is expected that despite the increased
work represented in the taking OF the thlr-
teenth census, as compared with previous
censuses, the results will be announced
earlier than ever before. The law provides
that the thirteenth census force must have
completed its labors by June 30, 1912, even
down to the publication of the last volume
of statistics, When the results are placed
at last in the hands OF the people there
will be a new reason for appreciation
Hitherto the decennial census reports have
taken up almost as much room in a
library as DR.. Eliot's famous section OF
linear literature. Director Durand will try
to scale the size down considerably. HI
will have a fine example to guide him
The federal blue book used to be published
In two volumes, each of them larger thar
an old fashioned family bible. The latest
one issued, without emitting a single essen.
tial fact, has been squeezed down to two
volumes, whose aggregate size is less thar
that Of the smaller of the former two
volumes. The next census reports will BE-
published ip volumes of convenient size.
ny Frederick J. Haskin.
TOmorrow-rhO Thirteenth Census.
Visions Probable results.