The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1909-10-07
FARM CENSUS ECONOMY.
Director Durand Hopes to Save Sew
eraI Hundred Thousand Dollars.

Washington, October 7.-Unlted
States Census Director E. Dana Du-
rand 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 large
number of cards had to be punched,
as the number of facts recorded re-
garding a farm was far greater than
| the number of facts required re-
garding an individual III the popula-
| ton census.
Director Durand said the statis-
tics of population and of agriculture
are collected by a different force
| from that employed in gathering the
statistics of manufacturers. The
population and agricultural data are
| secured by enumcrators of whom
there will be about IS, 900 at the
present census, they in turn being
appointed by the supervisors, of
whom there are about $50. The diff
| ficulty of securing competent and
/ faithful enumerators is very great
/
! Is DAYS in the cities and 80 days in
the country districts. The period is
| too short to Justify 4 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 census, moreover the pay
is small averaging perhaps three
/ dollars per day in the country dlS-
tficts and a trifle more in the cities
practically the pay of ordinary me
chanics. Not only, therefore, are
most of those who seek to be enum
orators men who are able TO com
uand only moderate pay i'll Their DC
equations, but many of them are
men who can not command regu Ia
empIoyment and who are LOOKING
Tor odd jobs.
Consideration has been given by
the census authorities from time u
time to the plan pursued in German!
and some other European countries
by which the census is taken chleil.
or wholly by men serving Wlthou
nav. who either volunteer their ser
vice from patriotic motives or Wh'
are required to act. He doubts
whether conditions in this countr!
are ripc for such a scheme. AT any
rate. nothing of this sort can b
done at the present census. 1t may
however. be hoped that to some
slight extent, and possibly to con
siderable extent, men can be lhohc
ed to accept the position of enum
orator from interest in the Worl
rather than for the compensation IN
volved. He hopes that considerable
number OF the colleges and unlVer
stiles of the country may see Ut /;
give leave of absence to their stu
dents for the short time required t'
do this work of enumeration. IN
college student is a very useful emu
Imerator in some cases, but II Is eA
lceedingly desirable that enumerator
should actually live in the dlstrict
where they work, and there are mui
titudes of districts where no college
Students reside or where such stu
Idents are in institutions hundreds o
thousands of miles from thel
homes. Another class who can rem
der good service as enumeratoTs ar
school teachers, but, with the enum
Grafton taking place in April an'
Nav instead of June as formerly, rev
ischool teachers can be spared IRON
their duties to take the census.