Anadarko daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 1908-191?, 1910-01-15

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greatly reduce the margin
Of statistical error in the
- compilation OF the thir.
tcenth census population
aata have been adopted by Director
~ Dana Durand.
The card punching machines to be
used Mt the present census differ very
radically from those employed before,
and will, II is believed, not only in.
crease the rapidity of the work but
tend TO reduce the number of errors
ON the part of the clerks doing the
punching. with the old punching ma.
chine, IL an error was made In n sin.
gle Item, even though 1t might be the
last Item to be punched on the card.
the entire card had to be DESTROYED.
This consumed time and also resulted
IN n temptation to the operator to let
the error go mcOrrected
With the machines now to be used,
40 hole Is punched In the card until
the keys for all the facts To be punch.
ed have been set. and If the opera.
tor makes mistake by depressing the
wrong key, he can correct II before
the card is punched. It was not found
possible at the last census to check
all Of the cards back to the schedules,
and II will probably not be feasible to
do so at this census. Part of the
cards punched by each operator are
selected at random and compared
back, and IL any appreciable percen.
tage of error Is discovered in those
thus compared the other cards punch.
by the same operator are likewise
compared
The semi-automatic electrical tabu.
lating machines to be used at the pres
ont census will also result. It is be.
iieved. in material increase of rapid.
ity and reduction of errors. This Is
principally brought about by the fact
that the results OF the count for each
unit of area are automatically printed,
whereas, formerly, they were regis.
tired on dials from which readings had
20 be taken and recorded by hand.
The reading Of these dials took large
amount Of time, during which the ma
chine was idle, and inaccurate read.
,ugs were not uncommon.
The new method Of punching and
tabulatou employs small manila
card, about 6N3 inches in size, to rep
resent each individual composing the
population April 10, 1910. For this
purpose alone, 9O0OOO0O cards have
been purchased
In collecting the data. a schedule IL
carried by The enumorators and ques-
tions I'm il concerning each individual.
will call for the name, relationship to
head of family, color, sex, age. con.
iugal condition, place OF birth, place
ot birth of parents, number of years
IN the United States, citizenship, oc.
cupatiou. whether or not employer or
rmployc. ana, If empluye. whether or
not employed at the date of enumera.
tion. and the number Of months unem.
ployed during the preceding calendar
year. whether or not engaged I'm ng.
riculture. school attendance, literacy.
and tenure OF home, and whether or
not a survivor of the union or confod.
crate army or navy.
The surface Of the population card
is divided by printed lines into what
,s called "felds' or divisions, contain
ing certain figures, Authorizations of
words and combinations of letters.
which are used as symbols TO cores.
oond with, or represent the details
or items of data as reported on the
original schedule by the enumerator.
Taking the card as the representa-
dive OF an individual, 1t then becomes
necessary to transfer to the card. all
the data on the schedule referring to