Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-11-01
THE TIHIIRrEENTIH CENSUS
Gathering the Data
Bv Frederic j. Haskin

and If there Is the slightest reason to
suspect that he Is not doing his work
properly and exactly, he will be asked
to explain. His final report must bal
ance exactly with the sum of his daily
reports.
Up to the census of 1880 it was re-
quired that all the returns of pcpu-
lation be posted at some conspicuous
place in the enumeration district, so
that every person interested could
make sure that there was 70 padding
of lists and no omissions Since that
time the daily report system has been
in vogue, and has largely served the
same purpose at the same time greatly
reducing the expense of the work.
In the past there have been many
attempts at padding tine lists In one
census a Mississippi enumerator, me-
gro, made the returns for all the farms
in his district. and then duplicated
these returns for every member of the
family on each farm. This padding
was for the sole purpose of increasing
his own pay. Usually padding has been
more marked in the cities and has been
done more for the purpose OF "boost-
ing population totals than anything
else. In the 1890 census two cities In q
north central state undertook to pad
their population returns. Each was
watching the other. The one went at
ii In a coarse, crude way and was 81 IN
caught in the act. The other handy =
the situation with a fintlr hand, q
might have escaped detection but for
the watchfulness of the rival city. In
one city there were several hundred
people returned as permanent jewellers
In the Union station. A prominent
newspaper building was reported to
have sixty-five permanent residents
When the census bureau decided upon
RECOMMENDATION committee was
sent to Washington to protest against
It, Among the members of the COM
mittee was the owner of the big news
paper building. When he had spoken
at some length supporting the accu-
racy of the first returns the record for
his own building was produced. He
was forced to join in the laugh that
followed at his own expense.
It remained for man under the
very shadow of the national capitol to
discover the most unique way of pad
ding his returns at the last census.
He was a Maryland enumeration, and
he visited the cemeteries in his dis
trict, and returned the names on the
tombstones. But he was not able to
cover up his tracks and was very soon
overtaken by the lynx-eyed office de-
tectives.
Bitter disappointment Is In store for
many citizens next year. For instance,
Los Angeles and Seattle are each de-
termined to be written down by the
thirteenth census as the second city
on the Pacific coast, and they have
been booming themselves for all they
are worth. Buffalo is working hard
to advance, and Houston and San An
tonic are having a great race for pri-
macy in Texas. 1t Is the common ex-
perience of census authorities that
when the showdown comes very few
cities are able TO live UP to their claims
of population. Some of them, however,
recognizing the danger of exaggerated
claims, have stopped setting their fig
ures above the census mark.
II is estimated that the actual cost OF
enumeration or gathering the data win
be In the neighborhod of $4,000,000. At
the last census the average pay for
each enumerator was about $50. IL is
expected that fully 30 per cent of this
will be paid out within three months of
the date of beginning the enumeration.
AS stated before, the returns of manu-
featuring, mining and quarrying will be
secured by special agents. These men
will be appointed because OF their spe-
cial fitness for the work. and there VIII
be several assistants under each chief
special agent. 1t Is hoped that a highly
competent corps of agents equipped
with simplified schedules will make this
census of manufactures a notable one.
If the country continues to grow In
the next twenty years as il has grown
In the past double decade the fifteenth
census will require an army of men as
large as Grant commanded at Apo
mattox to carry out the work. At least
2O.000.000 will be required to execute
the task. Some experts think that the
census will soon become such an extern
sive thing as to topple over of its own
weight but the majority OF those who
have followed the development of CEN
sus taking from the beginning to the
present unhesitatingly declare that ev-
cry recarring period produces more ac-
curate returns and drives the business
of census taking nearer to the hoped
for goal of an exact science.
Tomorrow; The Thirteenth Census; H.
TabuIating the Returns.
fpenzv In this maffar must ha a~oaod