The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-04-11
New Census Expected
to Show That He Has
so, 900, 900 Children.
w o RK TO BEGIN
EARLY ON FRIDAY
Seventy Thousand Interrogators
to Be Turned Loose Every
where-Fund of Information
Must Be Gathered-Public
to Answer Direct
Questions.

With the break of day on FRIDAY next
host of 10000 interrogators, 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 numbering
OF his children in preparation for the
thirteenth census He estimates that
he has n family of about 91,000,p00
men, women and children, and he al
ready has employed and will then put
to work a body OF enur orators eonstd-
erably greater than the standing army.
The law provides that the snumera.
ton shall begin ON Arril 10. but it is
not SO peremptory about the commenc-
ing time as about the closing time.
and already intimatiors have been re-
ceived that in some Instances the work
may be postponed until Saturday. This
Is duo TO the fact that the 18th falls
.on Friday, and among the 10000 name
takers there are some who are super
stitious as TO this day OF the week. +
To Cover Everythlns.
The enumeration Will cover all of f
the for;y-five States and two Terrific
ries of the Union proper, and also Ha-
wall and Porto Rico. Alaska. The
Philippine Islands and Guam will not
be included, as especial arrangements
are made for numbering the people of
those dependencies.
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. il is expected that some OF the
returns from the cities will be received
as early as the first week in June, but
the exact population Of the entire
country will not be determined before
some time in September. The census
IL. ,,.i,I la "a
I few thousand of the number long be-
/ fore the close of the summer months.
They Will be able 10 reach a substan-
TALLY accurate conclusion by their pay
rolls. bur this will be more or less
speculative. and the fSures Will nos
be given out.
Director e. Dana Durand is count
Ing upon a roll OF not fewer than
sO,ooO,0oo names This estimate ia
based upon calculations of his experts,
and makes allowance for an increase
according TO the tendencies shown in
the last three previous censuses Be-
tween 1870 and 1880 the increase in the
population was 30 per cent; between
1880 and 1890, 20 per cent; between
1890 and 1900, 81 per cent.
If the decrease should continue at
the same ratio, there would be fall
ing off this year of the rate of gain
TO II per cent. The immigration fig
ures for the past decade have been
greater. however, than for any of the
previous ten-year periods. Making
allowance for this augmentation from
outside, il is calculated that the in
crease for the past ten years will be
about IS per cent, and as, in round
i numbers. the figure for 1900 was
100000, it is now calculated that
there prove to have been an addition
of about 1+,0o0,ooO souls
Hopes to Check Decline.
Much interest is felt as to the show
, ing regarding the purely native In
crease. The enumerations between
1870 and 1900 show startling ten
! dency towards race suicide" and 1t
q is Mr.. Durand's fond hope that tho
: reports of his 10000 subordinates may
! be able TO check this apparent de-
Il cline Man of figures that he Is, he
s. does not, however, permit his opti-
q mism to shade his facts, and until the
9 actual returns show something bet
d ter, he will hold TO his 90,000,000 esti-
mate.
$ There will be some innovations ir
S the next census. and they are ex-
s. pected to improve the reports. Fol
q instance, the country farmer is to be
i afforded an opportunity to consider
IS in advance the statements he shall
It make as to the conditions prevailing
k with reference to his holdings, and the
= same advantage is to be given head:
of families in cities as to the enumer
ID alton of their households.
,si In both cases sheets are to be passed
n around before the official calls OF I'M
enumera tors, in the hope that bott
ruralist and urbanite will be more
complete in their returns than other
wise they might be. There also is tt
be unusual care in the supervision O
the work of the enumerators.
In the cities supervisors will caml
= on the heels OF the men with the pen
k ellis during the first day of their work
IL and in the country districts the sheet
l. themselves will be especially scruti
niZed.
n The inquiry will comprise three pr!n
- cipal neutrality-suspicious. agricultur
d and mining and manufacturing, Th
# questions will cover the acreage. th
N value and the product of farms, In
k Guiding an especial enumeration of an
K. imals, as it will be the capital invested
. the value Of products and the numbe
= - of employees of mining and manufac
is turing plants.
May Seem Impcrtlnent.
The enumerators will want TO kno'
a good deal about YOU for the popula
tion volumes. They not only will r
no slst upon knowing your sex, but W!
expect you to reveal your age an
he will ask you to tell whether you al
In white, black, mulatto, Chinese. Japt
~ ncse or indian; whether you arc ma
u ried or single. and IL; married, no
~, often; whether you are American
al foreign born. and IL the latter, th
a. YOU give not only your nationality, b
at your race and mother tongue. The
,w II you are a woman, you are to Il
II how many children have been born
~, YOU, and in any event you are to t.
IN oil about your education, your pare
sn- tage ana your eHplpynent. All W
ce, linformatio ION is to be for he general a
err, ernreS and for the ear only OF one
Al. Continued on Second Page,)