The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1910-05-18
WASTED CENSUS WORK..

~esS 0~sSsH
WASTED CENSUS WORK.
1t may be set down, right now, rs
an ascertained census fact, that q macs
Of the material gathered by the emu.
merator will be q mass of misinform-
alton, 1t the census bureau tries to use
it for the purpose of reaching general
conclusions.
The Montana farmer found himself
compelled to make answer on several
hundred items embraced under fifty.
nine general questions, with thirty-two
additional al inquiries relating TO irriga.
ton.
Questions as to acres owned and
titled, the value OF them, of buildings
and of livestock are questions to which,
OF course, reasonably intelligent an
swers could be given: and the same is
true with respect to crops. the yield Of
them and their value. Yet, liz actual
practice the average man would re-
quire a few hours Of time in which to
prepare accurate figures on these
items.
But the schedule wanted to know
how many pigs and cows and colts
we're born last year, how many domes.
tic animals were purchased, sold or
slaughtered, how many domestic ami
mails were boarded or pastured, how
many gallons of milk we're obtained
and how much butter, how many fowls
more than three months old were on
the farm April Is, l9l0.' how many
were raised, whether sold orconsumed,
last year. how many eggs were pro-.
duced last year and how many sold
and how much they were valued at;
and the same as to bushels of potatoes,
or quarts of berries or currants, or
quantities OF vegetables and hay and
fruits and nursery stock and all that.
Then there vas an extra bulletin
about irrigation. 1t asked about the
source Of the water, the form of owner.
ship, the acreage covered, the average
inches per acre--these being questions
which, again, an intelligent nan could
answer by taking plenty OF time to
figure it all out.
But the irrig alton schedule wanted
to know ''the year when irrigation was
first used on the farm" the source OF
the water, If the ownership of it is a
company, the name and address of the
company and the name address of its
secretary, the cost of laterals, the
manner in which the water is measured
out, the date when irrigation began
and the date when it stopped, las,
year, the size OF the %irrigating stream
In inches or in cubic feet per second,
> "the depth of inches Of water supplied
to the land" the value of the right,
! the annual charges, the cost of irriga.
! ting per acre-and thirty or forty
} other items.
Take Gall attn county, for instance.
A few men, entirely unskilled with
4 respect to the inform alton sought, rar
. about that valley during the few days
, allowed for demonstrating, doing the
J best they could, no doubt, to get wha'
was called for. Were the same worl
undertaken under the auspices of thu
: states agricultural collage we have
, no doubt that . larger force made W
of trained men would be compelled te
work hard at least six months in orde,
} to get the inform alton the census su'
thorisies called for. II reasonable ap
prosch to accuracy is wanted.
We do not believe that this informa'
ton, or alleged information, frsg.
mentary, too hastily gathered and O
necessity Inaccurate. will be of AM
value Whatever, wherein accurate con
! illusions r concerned.-Auac ond
Standard.