Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-03

on the 18th day OF next April. 5000 men
will start out 70 gather the information
upon which the Thirteenth Census will be
based. Never before has such careful
preparation been made to secure honest,
accurate. and complete returns. The direc-
tor Of census realizes the difficulty Of secur-
ing good, competent and faithful enumera-
tors, because the period Is too short to
Justify employed men to leave their regular
work, and the pay is too small to attract
the best men. II will take fifteen days
to make the city enumsrations and thirty
days for the country districts. The pay
win amount TO about g a day in the
country and a trifle more in the cities.
It was suggested that the position OF
enumerRtor be made one OF honor, and that
the men serve without pay, as is done in
some European countries. a medal OF honor
being given to those who serve well and
faithfully. Director Durand thinks that
such an arrangement might be made at
some future time, but that it would not be
expedient under present conditions. He does
hope. however, TO get many men who will
serve more because OF interest in the work
than for the compensation involved. He eX-
poets 10 make use Of many OF the crop
reports correspondents OF the Department
Of Agriculture. many OF the students OF
colleges and universities. and as many
school teachers az he can get.
The population schedule will be carried
by every one OF the 5000 people who will
constitute the army Of enumeration. but
only 5000 Of them will carry the agricul-
tural schedules. The statistics OF mines and
quarries and manufactures will be taken
by a corps Of chief and assistant special
agents, 1000 strong. They will be the
cavalry of the census army and their work
may continue for fifteen months.
1t is realized that aside from the actual
enumeration of the population the most
important inquiry appertains to the farm.
With all the progress America has made
as a manufacturing nation, the fixed capt.
tai in manufacturing industries is less h
half as much as that invested in aRricul-
ture. A special effort is to be made to
secure accuracy in farm returns. To that
end the director has caused to be issued
a long statement, which he hopes will
reach every farmer in the country, inn
pressing upon the farmer the Importance
of keeping an accurate record OF all his
farm operations, sales, etc, for the cal
endar year 1909, that he may be ready for
the enumeration. The director points out
AAAaA VIM AuN DNBdA NAAl0AlA vi agriculture
has a wonderfully efficient corps Of crop
estimators and reporters, the industry is
so vast and many Of its elements and con-
ditions so intangible to superficial obser-
walton, that all its figures would become
practically valueless were they not regu-
larly revised in the light Of actual census
returns. In the statement sent out to the
farmers is an outline Of the agricultural
schedule. and each farmer is requested to
make a note OF each particular bit of in
formation called for as soon as he gets 1t.
which will have a peculiar interest at this
time when conservation is uppermost in so
This is an innovation which augurs we'll for
the accuracy of the returns. One inquiry
many minds, is that which relates to the
number of acres of wooded and cleared
land on the farms OF the country. The
farm operations will cover the calendar
year 1909, while the stock on hand, prac-
ticaliy al inventory OF farm wealth, will
be as OF April Is, 1910.
There probably will be some women emu
merators, more especially in those states
where women have the right of suffrage.
II is hardly probable, however, that the
number Of women enumerators will amount
to as much as one per cent Of the whole.
In the Oklahoma census a few women
were employed, and they made a good rec
ord Of their sex. OF course it is only the
exceptional woman that stands any show OF
appointment, so that 1t is little wonde
that those who were appointed made fine
records.
Careful tab will be kept on every
enumerator's work all the time he is in the
field. He will be supplied with two cards
for every days work. Each night he will
fill them out, forward one to the supervisor
of his district and the other to the census
office In Washington. He must give a list
of the places he has visited, the number of
people he mas enurnerated-in short, a gen.
eral history OF his days work. Each office
will carefully check his cards, and IL there
is the slightest reason to suspect that he
is not doing his work properly and exactly,