Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-04-11
Of Questioners Will Be
Turned Loose Fridav,
When Uncle Sam viii Begin
Numbering His Family.
Estimated Population Of United
States Is About 100000.

! instant. host of OGUO interrogaters
| men and women. white and colored
will be turned loose in pursuit of the
| people of the United States on that
day Uncle Sam will begin the num-
| bering of his children in preparation
| tor the 18th Census. He estimates that
| lie has family of about $4,000 600
men. women and children. and he al
| ready has employed and will then put
to work body of enumerators con
slderably greater than the standing
army.
| The law provides that the enumera-
ton shall begin on the 18TH but it
| is not so peremptory about the com
| menclng time as about the closing
| time. and already limitations have
been received that in some instances
| the work may be postponed until
| Saturday. This is due to the fact
| that the 18th falls on Friday, and
among the 10000 name takers there
are some VIII" are superstitous as to
| this day of the week.
| The enumeration will cover all of the
| A. states and two territories of the
| Union proper and also Hawaii and
| Porto Rico. Alaska. the Philippine
| Islands and Guam will not be included
| as especial arrangements are made
| for numbering the people OF those de-
Tendencies.
Under the statutes governing the
| work, the entire enumeration must be
| completed within month and in the
cities the work is limited to fifteen
days. 1t is expected that some of the
returns from the cities will be re-
| "A no in,
June. but the exact population Of the
| entire country will not be determined
before sometime in September The
Census officials will however, know
within few thousand of the number
long before the close of the summer
| months. They will be able to reach
substantially accurate conclusion by
their pay rolls. but this will be more
or less speculative, and the figures
will not be given out.
Director f.. Dana Durand is count
ing upon a roll of not fewer than 90
900 names. This estimate is based
upon calculations of his experts and
makes allowance for an increase ac-
cordng to the tendencies shown in
the last three previous cenSuscs. Be
tween 1870 and 1880 the increase in
tween 1880 and 1890 - per cent, be
tween 1890 and 1900. u per cent #
the decrease should continue at the
same ratio there would be a falling
off this year of the rate of gain to II
per cent. The Immigration figures for
the past decade have been greater
however. than for any of the previous
ten year periods Making allowance
fer this augmentation from outside it
is calculated that the increase for the
past ten years will bc about rs per
cent. and as, i'm round numbers, the
hr,Ir" for 1900 was 100000 it is now
calculated that there prove to hay"
been an addition of about 1j000OO0
souls.
Much interest is felt as to the show
llg regarding the purely native in
crease. The enumerations between
1870 and 400 show a startling ten
dency towards race suicide" and ii
is Mr. Duraud's fond hone that the
reports of his 10000 subordinatcs may
be able to check this apparent de-
cline. Man of figures that he is. h"
does not however. permit his optimism
To shade his facts. and until the ac-
tual returns show something better.
he will hold To his ninety million eSti-
mate
There will bc some Innovations in
the next census. and they are expected
to improve tho reports. For Instance,
the country farmer is to be afforded
an opportunity to consider in adj
vance the statements he shall make as
to the conditions prevailing with ref
erencc t. his holdings and tho same
advantage is to be given heads Of
families in cities as to the enumera-
ton of their households. In both
cases sheets are to be passed around
before the official calls of the emu
meratorS in the hope that both rural
list and urbante will be more complete
in their returns than otherwise they
might be. There also is to be unusual
care in the supervision Of the work of
the enumeratOrs. In the cities super
visorS will camp on the heels of the
men with the pencils during the first
dly Of their work and in the country
districts the sheets themselves wilt
be especially scrutinized.
The inquiry will comprise three prln
cipaI branches: Population. Agrcul
ture. and Mining and Manufacturing.
The questions will cover the acreage.
the value and the product of farms,
including an especial enumeration OF
animals, as it will the captal invested,
the value of products. and the number
OF employees of mining and manufac-
turing plants.
The enumerators will want to know
good deal about you for the Popula-
| ton volumes. They not only will in
sist unon knowing your sex. hut will
expect YOU to reveal your age. and will
ask YOU tC tell whether You are white.
| black. mulatto. Chinese, Japanese or
/ Indian: whether you are married or
! SINGLE and if married how often;
| whether YOU are American or foreign
| born. and if the latter. that YOU give
not only vour nationality. but your
| race and mother-tongue. Then. if you
are d woman. YOU are to tell how
many children have been born to you,
and in any event. YOU are to tell all
about your education, your parentage
and your employment. All this in
formation is to be for the general
average and for the ear only of one