Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1910-03-18

possessions have increased since then
and his family gained about 1900. 600
more members than belonged to 1t in
1900 It would be considered no more
than fair IL the present diagnosis were
to call for the spending of about $19,-
600. 600, which would be the sum IL the
rate Of increase Of expense at each
census up to the twelfth were to be
maintained for the thirteenth.
A census expert has estimated that
of the $13.OOOO0O the headquarters Of
fee force will earn $4.SOO.OOO. the emu
merators $4,5OO.OOO the supervisors
$4,000 and the special agents $780,
600. The administrative cost will be
5000. 600. the stationery 500, 600. rent
1926 600. tabulating machines $4,000
cards for tabulation processes 500, 900.
printing $SOO.O00. Alaska $4,000. Por-
to Rico $4,000; total. $12,93O. 600.
If that Is all the expense It is cheap.
The late General Francis A. Walker,
who was census authority greater
than any other. living or dead. once
wrote that 1.-THE people OF the United
States can well afford to pay for the
very best census they can get" He
penned this In connection with q frank
confession Of his own rtsightedness
In Understanding the cost Of the
tenth census
It's the old story when you are I'll
get the best doctor you can afford.
The comparative cheapness with
which the thirteenth census will be
taken will be largely due to Director
e. Dana Durand's economical meth
DDS. to the introduction Of semiauto-
matte electrical card punching. tabu-
lating and sorting machines and to the
inheritance Of wisdom from the ex-
Iperience gained by the permanent cen-
Sus bureau.
Modern Methods For Accuracy.
Mir. Durand Is responsible for many
Of the new methods to increase statis-i
tical accuracy Mt every step Of the
census taking and to decrease the per
capita cost Of the enumeration. The
card punching, tabulating and sorting
machinery is the invention OF q census
mechanical expert. and the patent
rights belong to Uncle Sam. The ma
chimes are novel In plan and design.
Iare Of greater speed and efficiency
than those they superseded and can
be built and operated at large saw.
ing Of money as compared with pre-
vious expenditures for this purpose.
Other money saving features are the
elimination Of the vital statistics I'M
.quiry from the work Of the decennial
census. as It belongs to the permanent
branch Of the United States census;
the reduction in the number OF sched-
ules. the piece price method OF paying
for machine work. the omission Of the
hand, household and neighborhoOd In
dustries from the manufactures branch
OF the census and the reduction Of the
size and number Of copies Of the hnal
reports.
The larger part Of the $4,000, 600
will be expended In the fiscal year
which began Jnly ! last and ends
June 30. 1910. the first Of the three
years within which time the thirteenth
census must be over. the temporary
clerks and special agents discharged
and the. permanent census bureau
with its ONCE force Of TOO clerks again
performing its annual intercensal func-
t.ons. Fully half Of the total to Do
expended VIII be Washington's share.
and the remainder viii be distributed
all over the country.
Congress has limited the thirteenth
census to four general subjects-pop-
ulatioD. agriculture. manufactures aud
mines ard quarries The director ID
authorized to determine the form and
subdivision of inquiries. The inquiry
as to population relates to April 10.
1910: that as to agriculture concerns
the farm operations during 1909 and
calls for an Inventory of farm equip
ment April 10. 1910; that relative to
manufactures and mines and Quarries
- for 1909.
An Army to Get the Fsets.