Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-10-17


an army of $4,000 people into
the field for the purpose of gathering
the data which will afford a great ma
tional snapshot of the United States as
1t is, and furnishing a basis for ascer-
tanning what progress the country has
made during the decade. After these
decennial inquiries are made the bu-
reau disbands its army of 5000 emu
merators 1t takes a force of 5000
two years to digest the statistical in
formation gathered. The permanent
bureau maintain a force of 500 for the
gathering and publishing of statistical
DATA between census periods.
When the census bureau begins the
work of taking the decennial census
the nrSt question which ConfrontS 1t Is
that or making 'out the schedule OF
questions which are to be asked by the
enumerators. 1t is by no means SIM
pie matter of writing down every
question that happens to suggest itself
TO the schedule maker Upon the num-
Der and the character Of the questions
contained in a schedule depends the
accuracy and value of the returns.
mere are two principles which must
govern those who frame census
schedule. Enough questions must be
asked to get the information desired
and yet the fewer and simpler these
questions are the greater will be the
accuracy of the data they bring out
So the schedule maker tries to find
happy medium between the elaborate
examination which would produce the
maximum Of information and the
small number of simple questions
which would secure the greatest ac-
curacy. Many different schedules Of
questions are submitted to different
classes of people
The population schedule, of course,
In
the thirteenth census contained thirty
three questions. The next most impOr-
tant schedule has to do with the farms
1t contains some 600 questions The
schedule of the manufacturing indus
tries contains several hundred uues-
tions. The population schedule is al
ways the most important The census
is primarily matter of counting noses
to determine the population of the
country for purposes of annortioninp
representation to Congress-
All the other inquiries have come about
as an incidental matter, sort of by
product. as it We're. Upon the count of
population may depend the political COM
schedule for the thirteenth census con-
tanned a number of new interrogatories
one OF these was for the purpose of find
ing out what proportion of the people
are employees. Another new question re-
lated to whether the person was Union
or Confederate soldier during the civil
war This question was asked with
reference to service in the Union army
at the eleventh census, the names Of
SURVIVORS and their service being gath
ered NO provision was made for the
publication of this data. which would
nave filled eight large quarto volumes of
a thousand pages each. The returns
were deposited in the pension bureau
and never have been printed.
1t required more than 10000 people to
gather the population and agricultural
statistics of the country in 1910. In the
taking OF the census a careful tab is
Kept on every enumerator's work every
day he is in the field. He is supplied
with two cards for each days work. At
night he fills them out forwarding one
to the supervisor of his district and the
other to the census bureau in Washing
ton. He must give list of the places he
has visited, the number of people he has
enumerated. and. in short, general
history of the days work The super
visor and the central office both check his
cards. and if there is the slightest reason
to suspect that he has not been doing his
work properly he will be asked to ex-
plain His final report must balance
exactly with the sum of his daily reports
The cost of the thirteenth census was
approximately $14.o00OOO, of which about
SI,NO.OO went to pay for the enlmera-
ton in the field. The census law re-
quires that every person shall make true
and faithful answer to the enumerator
who calls upon him. and provides a fine
and imprisonment for willful failure to
give such answers. AT the same time it
is equally careful to Insure the people
that their confidence shall be protected if