The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1910-01-08
NO. ~.
ENUMERATORS TEST EASY.

WASHINGTON, D. c., Dec. 20, 1909.
By January % all applications
for the positions of enumerators in
the Thirteenth Decennial United
States Census must be fled with
the supervisors of census for the
supervisors districts in which the
applicants reside. Between that
date and February 5 the super.
visors will send out cards to ap-
plicants informing them where
they are to report for the "test"
to be held in every one of the $50
supervisors districts on February
5 only.
Census Director Durand en-
phatically states that persons
desiring to hold such positions
should not stand in fear of tho
"test" to be made. Any person
of average public-school educa-
ton 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 en-
able the Director of the Census to
exercise in.elligently his power of
approval of those whom the super
visors designate for appointment.
1t will involve the filling in Of
either sample population
schedule, by those who will make
the count in the cities, or of both
a sample population and agri.
cultural schedule, by candidates
who will enumerate the country.
To prepare the way and to in.
sure every applicant being given
fair chance, the supervisors will
send in advance to each and every
candidate a set of printed instruc.
tions for filling in these sample
schedules.
1--WE consider that very i'm.
portant point" said Acting Census
Director Willoughby to-day. mot
only in treating these candidates
fairly and giving them a chance
to- answer the questions properly.
but also as means OF education
of the candidates who are after.
wards to be appointed.
"They will study more thorough
ly the instructions for filling in
these schedules if they realize
their chances of appointment de-
pend upon that study than if they
were appointed first and had to
do the studying afterwards. 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 applied
simply to enable the Director to
eliminate those who are plainly
incompetent. Any person of good
Judgment and ordinary common
school education-fort the work re.
quires some little thinking power
can easily pass the test"
Between February 5 and Feb
ruary % the supervisors will go
through the "test" papers, satisfy
themselves as the qualifications
of those who have passed, and
make their designations or re-
to the Census
Directorr. The next step will be
the Directors approval, and then
the supervisors will issue the com.
missions to the enumeratOrs.
Director Durand expects to have
the army of $1,000 or more emu
merators picked, tested, desig.
mated, and commissioned by the
middle or the latter part of March.
From then on uptil April Is, the
supervisors will send the enumer-
ator- circulars and books of in.
structions concerning the mean.
ing Of the schedule questions and
the way the cnumer4tOrs should
write in the answers obtained
from the people of the country.
1t is very probable that census
special agents may be assigned
to certain sup -rvisors' districts
for the purpose of meeting the
enunerators personally and Civ
ing them additional informa alton
concerning the character OF their
duties.
Application forms. with COM
piete directions concerning Tue
method of preparing them, can oe
secured by writing at once to the
supervisor named in the list ap-
pended whose district embraces
the place of residence of the ap-
plicant.
LOUISIANA First district, John
A. Wngan, New Orleans, Orleans
Parish; Second district, Walter
Y. Kemper, Franklin. st. Mary
Parish: Third district, Raymond
t. Clark, Crowley, Acadia Parish;
Fourth district, George 7. Kelley,