The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1910-01-07
"ENUMERATORS' TEST" EASY.
Applications Must be Filed With SUI
pervisors Before Jan. 20.

Washington, ID. c., Dec. 29.-By
January 25th all applications for the
| positions of enumerators in the Thir-
teenth Decennial United States Cen
sus must be filed with the supervisors
! OF census for the supervisors dis
! tricts in which the applicants reside
Between that date and February 9th
| the supervisors will send out cards to
| applicants informing them where
they are to report for the test" to be
held in every one of the $50 super
visors' districts on February 5th only.
Census Director Durand emphati-
cally states that persons desiring to
hold such positions should not stand
in fear of the test" to be made. ANY
person of average public-school edu-
cation who can write plainly and
reasonably fast will go through the
test with "colors flying" In fact,
the test" is intended simply to help
the supervisors pick suitable persons
and to enable the Director of the
Census to exercise intelligently his
power of approval of those whom the
supervisors designate for appoint
ment.
1t will involve the filling in of eth
er sample population schedule, by
those who will make the count in the
cities, or of both sample population
and agricultural schedule, by candi-
dates who will enumerate the coun-
try.
To prepare the way and to insure
every applicant being given a fair
chance, the supervisors will send in
advance to each and every candidate
set of printed instructions for fill
ing in these sample schedules.
I'VE consider that a very import
ant point" said Acting Census Direc-
tor Willoughby to-day, mot only in
treating these candidates fairly and
giving them chance to answer the
questions properly but also as a
means of education of the candidates
who are afterwards to be appointed.
They will study more thoroughly |
the instructions for filling in those |
schedules if they realize their chances
of appointment depend upon that
study than if they were appointed
first and had to do the studying after |
wards. You will see, therefore, that
this test is not an appalling thing. |
1t is not for the purpose of keeping
people out of the places. 1t is ap-
piled simply to enable the Director |
to eliminate those who are plainly in |
competent. Any person of good judg- |
ment and ordinary common-school |
education-for the work requires |
some little thinking pOwer-can cas-
lily pass the test"
Between February 5 and February |
22 the supervisors will go through |
the test" papers, satisfy themselves |
as the qualifications of those who |
have passed, and make their designa-
tions or recommendation to the Cen
sus Director. The next step will be
the Directors approval, and then the
supervisors will issue the commits
sions TO the enumerators.
Director Durand expects to have
the army OF $1,000 or more enumer-
ators picked, tested, designated, and
commissioned by the middle or lat
ter part OF March. From then on un-
til April 18th the supervisors will
send the enumerators circulars and
books of instructions concerning the
meaning of the schedule questions
and the way the enumerators should
write In the answers obtained from
the people of the country.
1t IL very probable that census spe-