The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-04-11
CENSUS TAKERS
READY FOR WORK
Great Army Will Start Out
Early Next Friday
ONE MONTH FOR WORK
In the Cities the Enumcrators Must
Finish Their Duties Within Two
Weeks but Country workers
Have More Time

Washington, April 1O.-With tht
break of day on next Friday the 18th
instant, a host of 10000 interrogaters
men and women, white and colored, will
be turned loose in pursuit OF the people
of the United States. On that day INCL,
Sam will begin the numbering of his
children in preparation for the thir,
teenth census. He estimates that he
has family of about 10000, 900 men
women and children, and he already has
employed and will then put to work q
body of enumerators considerably
greater than the standing army
The law provides that the enumera-
ton shall begin on the 10Th, but it is
not so peremptory about the com
mencing time as about the closing time
and already limitations have been re.
ceiyed that In some instances the work
may be postponed until Saturday. This
is due to the fact that the 10Th falls
on Friday, and among the 10000 name
takers there are some who are super
stitious as to this day of the week.
The enumeration will cover all of the
45 states and two territories of the
Union proper and also Hawaii and Por-
to Rico. Alaska, the Philippine Islands
and Guam will not be included, as espe-
cial arrangements are made for num-
bering the people of those dependencies.
One Month for Work
Under the statutes governing the
work, the entire enumeration must be
completed within a month, and In the
cities the work Is limited to Is days.
1t is expected that some of the returns
from the cities will be received as early
a 9 the first week in June, but the exact
population of the entire country will
not be determined before some time in
September The census officials will,
however. know within a few thousand
of the number long before the close OF
the summer months. They will be able
TO reach a substantially accurate con-
clusion by their pay rolls, but this will
be more or less speculative, and the fig
ures will not be given out.
Director e. Dana Durand is counting
upon a roll of not fewer than 10000, 900
names. This estimate is based upon
calculations of his experts and max es
allowance for an increase according to
the tendencies shown in the last three
previous censuses. Between 1870 and
1880 the increase in the population was
80 per cent; between 1880 and 1890, %
per cent; between 1890 and 1900, 81 per
cent. If the decrease should continue
at the same ratio there would be fall
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
for this augmentation from outside it
is calculated at the increase for the
past ten years will be about IS per
cent and as in round numbers. the fig
ure for 1900 was 100000, it is now
calculated that there prove to have
been an addition OF about 100000
souls.
Increase of Natives
Much interest is felt as to the show
ing regarding the purely native in
crease. The enumerations between 1870
and 100 show a startling tendency to-
ward race suicide and 1t is Mr.. Dur
ands fond hope that the reports of his
10000 subordinates may be able to
CHI eek this apparent decline. Man of
figures that he Is, he does not, how
ever. permit his optimism to shade his
facts, and until the actual returns show
something better, he will hold to his
90, 900 00C estimate.
There will be some innovations In the
next census, and they are expected to
improve the reports. For instance, the
country farmer is to be afforded an OPP
portunity to consider in advance the
statements he shall make as to the con-
ditios prevailing with reference to his
holdings, and the same advantage is to
be given heads of families in cities as
to the enumeration of their households
In both cases sheets are to be passed
around before the officials calls of the
enuemartors in the hope that both rur-
alist and urbanite will be more COM
plete 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
supervisors will camp on the heels OF
the men with the pencils during the
first day of their work and in the coun-
try districts the sheets themselves will
be especially serutinized.
Three Principal Branches
The inquiry will comprise three prin-
cipal branches: Population, agriculture
and mining and manufacturing. The
questions will cover the acreage, the
value and the product of farms, includ-
Ing an especial enumeration of ami
mails, as It will the capital invested the
value of products, and the number of
employees of mining and manufacturing
plants
The enumerators will want to know
a good deal about you for the popula-
tion volumes. They not only will in
sist upon knowing your sex, but will
expect you TO reveal your age, and will
ask you to tell whether you are white
black, mulatto, Chinese, Japanese or
Indian; whether you are married or
single, and II married how often
whether yo uare American or foreign
born, and If the latter. that you give
not only your nationality. but your race
and mother tongue. Then, II you are
a woman, you are to tell how many
children have been born to you; and, In
any event. you are to tell about your
education, your parentage and your en-
ployment All this informa ton II to be
for the general average and for the ear
only OF one of the enumerators. He is
sworn not to reveal any of the awful
truths.
Cost of Taking Census
The mere getting of the Information
will cost the government the pretty
sum OF 35,500,0O0. OF this amount
s4,500,000 will be paid to enumerators,
and the remaining million to supervis-
ors. With a few exceptions the enum-
orators will be paid on the basis of the
work done. In the country the remun-
GRAFTON Will be from 20 to 80 cents for
each farm reported, while the pay for
names VIII range from to cents.
The districts will average 1900 names,
1000 In the country and 1900 In the
cities. In the southern states there will
be two enumerators in each district,
one white. and the other black. All
told. there will be about 1900 negro
enumera tors. but some of them Will be
employed In the northern states. In
the south the negroes will be visited by
enumera tors of their own race, as VIII
also the whites by tn elrt own people.
l. -. .at.
enumera tors. In point cf numbers New
York Will lead the list with $500 snum-