The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1909-11-21

At the bottom is f. Dana Du-
rand of Michigan. director OF the
census bureau. At the top, read
ing from left 10 right are Charles $.
Sloane. the gcographer If the census
bureau. A. H. Baldwin. chief clerk,
and Robert NJ. Pindel. Jr., appoint
ment clerk.
Washington. y. C.. Nov. 20.-old DR..
United states census will make his
thirteenth diagnosis If the condition
OF Uncle Sam and his family next
April Is. He began IL in 1880 and
has been repeating il every 10 years
since. Uncle sam has footed the Silis
to date. amounting to about siI 900. 900.
Our venerable Dad has calculated that
the thirteenth investigation will cost
about $4,000. 900. So that when old
DIR. United States Census finishes his
current work there will have been
spent about $4,000. 900 for this pur-
pose since 1890.
The twelfth census cost about sl3,
000, 900. and as Uncle Sans landed pos
sessions have gained since then and
his family gained about 15.0o0,o00
more members than belonged to 1t in
1900, II would be considered no more
than fair If the present diagnosis
were to call for the spending of about
$4,000, 900. which would be the sum
III the rate of increase of expense at
each census up to the twelfth were
to be maintained for the thirteenth
A census expert has estimated that
OF the thirteen millions. the headquar-
tiers office force will earn $4,000, 900:
the enumerators 900: the super
visors $4,000. and the special agents
100000 The administrative cost Will
be 100000; the stationery 100000:
rent sl25.0p0: tabulating machines
S250.000: cards for tabulation processes
100000: printing 100000; Alaska $751;
900: Porto Rico si60.000 Total sfa.930.
900.
If that Is all the expense. IL Is
cheap. The late Gen. Francis \.
Walker. who was a census authority
greater than any other, living or dead.
once wrote that 'the people of the
United States can well afford To pay
for the very best census they can get"
He penned this remark in connection
with a frank confession of his own
shortsightedness in Understanding
the cost OF the tenth census.
Its the old story: ahcn You are III
Het tHe btSt Nhtti ~ Van Al4bt.l.
The comparative chearness with
which the thirteenth census will be
taken will be largely due to Director
T.. Dana Durand's economical meth
DDS. TO the introduction of semi-au-
tomato electric card punching. tabu-
lating and sorting machines. and to
the inheritance of wisdom from the eX-
perience gained by the permanent CEN
sus bureau. During the term Of the
latter. which now is in a sort nf state
of suspended animation pending the
taking of the decennial census. the
methods of inquiry tabulation and
compilation have been greatly inn
proved both in accuracy and in econ
omy. Millions viii be saved.
Mr.. Durand is responsible for many
of the new methods To increase statis-
teal accuracy at every step OF the cen
sus taking and To decrease the per
capita cost of the enumeration. The
card-punching. tabulating and sorting
machinery is the invention Of n census
mechanical expert and the patent
right belong to Uncle sam. The ma
chimes are novel in plan and design.
are of greater speed and efficiency
than those they superseded. and eau
OF money as compared with previous
expenditures for this purpose.
Other money saving features are the
elimination of the yitai-statistics in
quiry from the work of the deeenniai
census, as il belongs To the permanent
branch of the United States census.