The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1910-04-15
Soon Beuin Takinq Census.

day Uncle Sam will begin the mum.
bering of his children in preparation
for the thirteenth census. He esti.
mates that he has a family of about
10000, 600 men, women and children,
and he already has employed and will
then put to work body of enumera
tors considerably greater than the
standing army.
The law provides that the enumera-
ton shall begin on the 18th, but it is
not so peremptory about the com.
mencing time as about the closing
time, and already intimations have
been received that in some instances
the work may be postponed until Sat
urday. This is due to the fact that
the 18th falls on Friday, and among
the 10000 name takers there some
who are superstitious as to this day
of the week
The enumeration will covel all of
the forty-five states and two territories
of the union proper and also Hawaii
and Porto Rico. Alaska, the Philip
pine islands and Guam will not be in
cluded, as special arrangements are
made for numbering the people of
those dependencies.
City Populations Known June I.
Under the statutes governing the
work, the entire enumeration must be
completed within a month, and in the
cities the work is limited to fifteen
days. 1t is expected that some of the
returns from the cities will be re-
ceived as early as the first week in
June, but the exact population of the
entire country will not be determined
before sometime in September. The
census officials will, however, know
within few thousand of the number
long before the close of the summer
months. They will be able to reach
substantially accurate conclusion by
their pay rolls, but this will be more
or less speculative, and the figures
will not be given out.
Director E. Dana Durand is counting
upon pay roll of not fewer than co.
100000 names. This estimate is based
upon calculations of his experts, and
makes allowance for an increase ac-
the last three previous censuses. Be
tween 1870 and 1880 the increase in
the population was 80 percent; be-
tween 1880 and 1890, 25 percent; be-
tween 1890 and 1900, 81 percent If
the decrease should continue at the
same ratio there would be a falling
off this year of the rate of gain to
Tho i'm, iyra
for the past decade have been great
err, however, than for any of the pre-
vious ten-year periods. Making al
lowance for this augmentation from
outside it is calculated that the in
crease for the past ten years will be
about IS percent, and as, in round
numbers, the figure for 1900 was TO-
100000, it is now calculated that there
prove to have been an addition of
about 100000 souls.
Much interest is felt as to the
showing regarding the purely native
increase. The enumerations between
1870 and 1900 show startling ten
dency towards race suicide" and it
is Mr.. Durand's fond hope that the
"
be able to check this apparent decline.
Man of figures that he is, he does
not, however, permit his optimism to
shade his facts, and until the actual
returns show something better, he
will hold to his ninety-million estl-
mate.
Will Give Out Advance Sheets.
ha in
the next census, and they are expect
ed to improve the reports. For in
stance, the country farmer is to be
afforded an opportunity to consider
in advance the statements he shall
make as to the conditions prevailing
with reference to his holdings, and
the same advantage is to be given
heads of families in cities as to the
enumeration of their households. In
both cases sheets are to be passed
around before the official calls of the
enumerators in the hope that both
ruralist and urbanite will be more
complete in their returns than other
wise they might be. There also is
to be unusual care in the supervision
the cities supervisors will camp on
the heels of the men with the pen
ellis during the first day of their work
and in the country districts the sheets
themselves will be especially scruti-
nized.
The inquiry will comprise three
principal branches: Population, ag-
riculture and mining and manufacture
ing. The questions will cover the
acreage, the value and the product of
farms, including an especial enumera-
ton of animals, as it will the capital
invested, the value of products, ana
the number of employees of mining
and manufacturing plants.
What You'll Tell the Man.
The enumerators will want to know
good deal about you for the popula-
ton volumes. They not only will in
sist upon knowing your sex, but will
expect you to reveal your age, and
will ask you to tell whether you are