Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1909-10-08
FARM CENSUS ECONOMY
Director Durand Hopes To Save Sew
eral Hundred Thousand Dol
lars

WASHINGTON, ID. c., October T.
1901. S. Census Director e. Dana
Durand hopes to save several hundred
thousand dollars in taking the CEN
sus of agriculture and also to in
crease the accuracy of the statistics
The Director stated today that at
the census of 1900 the agricultural
data were handled by means of
punched cards. For each farm a
large number of facts recorded re-
garding a farm was far greater than
the number of facts required regard
ing an individual in the population
census
Director Durand said the statistics
of population and of agriculture are
collected by a different force from
that employed in the gathering of
the statistics of manufactures. The
population and agricultural data are
secured by enumerators of whom
there will be about 65 900 at the pre-
sent census, they in turn being ap-
pointed by the supervisors, of whom
there are about $50. The difficulty
of securing competent and faithful
enumerators is very great. The length
of service is very short, / 5 days in
the cities and 80 days in the country
districts. The period is too short
to justify a man who has a good job
in quitting it, while on the other
hand it is too long in most cases to
enable such men to get leave from
their regular work to take the cen
sus. Moreover the pay is small, aver
aging perhaps three dollars per day
in the country districts and a trifle
more in the cities, practically the pay
of ordinary mechanics. Not only,
therefore, are most of those who seek
to be enumerators men who are able
to command only moderate pay in
their occupations, but many of them
are men who cannot command regu-
lar employment and who are look
ing for odd jobs.
Consideration has been given by
the census authorities from time to
time to the plan pursued in Germany
and some other European countries,
by which the census is taken chiefly
or wholly by men serving without
pay, who either volunteer their ser
vice from patriotic motives or who
are required to act. He doubts
whether conditions in this country
are ripe for such a scheme At any
rate, nothing of this sort can be done
at the present census. 1t may, how
ever, be hoped that to some slight
extent and possibly to a considerable
extent, men can be induced to ac-
cept the position of enumerator from
interest in the work rather than for
the compensation involved. He hopes
that a considerable number of the
colleges and universities of the coun-
try may see fit to give leave of alb
sence to their students for the short
time required to do this work of
enumeration. The college student is
very useful enumerator in som e
cases, but it is exceedingly desirable
that enumerators should actually live
in the districts where they work, and
there are multitudes of districts
where no college students reside or
where such students are in institu-
tions hundreds or thousands of miles
from their homes Another class
who can render good service as enum-
orators are school teachers, but, with
the enumeration taking place in
April and May instead of June as
formerly, few school teachers can be
spared from their duties to take the
census.