Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1910-02-10
Thirty.twO Men and Women Struggle
with Examinations at City Hall
FOR CENSUS ENuMERAT0RS
A Molly Array Of Old and Young of Both
Sexes Aspire TO Assist Uncle sam


enter their names as applicants for
the position OF census euumcrator
with the civil service bureau Of the
United States government were
given Saturday, the 5th, in the audi
torium room of the high school here
under the direction OF Eli Brown Of
this city Thirty-two men and wo-
men Of every age from twenty to
sixty, from farm and city, from the
country hamlet and burgs with a
postotfice and several houses were
present to try their wits against
those OF Uncle Sam. The eNamiua-
tons were not particularly difficult,
but were bound 10 keep the eyes of
those who took them wide open
Each applicant was furnished with
certain questions which would arise
in taking the census and a sample
sheet showing how difficulties COM
ing up should be handled, and was
set TO work taking an imaginary
census. The questions though not
difficult, require alertness and keen
ness in detecting little things which
would slip by the careless enumer-
ator. As it was one or two gave up
the struggle before they had half
completed.
The applicants came from all over
the north part of Gratiot county, at
least one or two and sometimes as
many as six coming from each town
ship. There were gray haired men
and young ladies, young fellows but
a few years out of their teens and
married women, the lad fresh from
the farm and the college student. All
classes were represented and all
were eager and earnest in their work,
for it meant dollars and cents to
every one
Those taking the examinations
were as follows:
Pine River township: John Lam
shaw, Ella NJ. Phillips, Mertie Fran
cisco and Chas. F. Johnson.
Sumner: Albert Beeson, f. A.
Potter. Chas. L. Booth, Lewis NJ
Forquer. Geo. Graham, Pearl l..
Sabin. Seneca Sly and George w.
Oliver.
Arcadia: VIM ]. Washburn and
Henry c. Clark.
Bethany: John A. Phillips.
St. Louis: F. J. Morton, Newton
Burns, J. c. Bamey and H. B. Gid
dings.
Emerson: Fred c. Priest, Jesse
/. Guthrie, Joseph II. Taylor and
+. c. Wonocot.
Seville: Walter c. Mallory
Wheeler: Edwin Rich and Her
man Zubler.
Alma, first and fourth wards: F..
W. Smith, Fannie Sharrar, G.. w.
Ward.
Alma, second and third wards :
Geo Argent, Mrs. Inez Belle Sandel
c. Stanley Johnson, of Ionia coun-
ty, student at Alma college, also
took the examination with those
from Gratiot county.
The papers written by these ap-
plicants are sent to S. Perry Young,
the supervisor of the census for the
Eleventh district of Michigan, whose
home is at Stanton He corrects
each paper and rates it. He then
sends all the papers in to the Civil
Service commission at Washington
with his corrections, standings and
recommendations as to whom he
thinks should be appointed. If the
Civil Service commission find his
work all correct they comply with
his recommendation and appoint
those whom he has chosen If his
work is not entirely correct they ap-
point whom they see fit out of those
successful in the tests. There will be
no returns from these papers for at
least three or four weeks, and no
doubt many OF the contestants will
be on the anxious seat until that
time.
The work of taking the census will
commence on April 18th. and thirty
days will be allowed for its com
pletion Each enumerator is paid
at a certain rate per name, and usual
ly very good wages are made by
those doing the work. There will be
about twenty-five employed in the
work in this county and two in Alma.
Similar examinations were held in
Ithaca Saturday for the southern
part of the county.