The Detroit times., 1913-10-15
|oPS(aO0L
US SHOWS
ANNUAL BOOST
II Education WIN Try to
5svjse Cheaper and Better
I Method - pa
birFICULT TO SECURE
CAPABLE ENUMERATORS
Work Usually Done by Incompe-
tents Who Have No Regular
Employment

Employment
Complaints OF the increasing cost
or taking the school census. together
y ith the difYiculty OF obtaining skillful
See1nme era tors and the necessity OF veri-
lying the work Of some OF the census
!. takerS, asU causing member OF the
! beard of education to inquire whether
some better and cheaper method can.
Snok b found.
I The 1918 census cost $7,1S1.75. This
n n an increase Of 4l,09917 over the
4 cot OF the 1912 census. which caused
& ~ outlay Of e6,062.66, and Of 91,S16.15
ever the 1911 census. which cost So
q ~ "a " q 's,-~~ --~,
The .is1s census showed 13i.s45
md it cost 6A4 cents . name to take
10 The 1912 census. with 1883
4 nnrnes. cost sos Q name. % The 1911
3 consus, with 114,44S names.- coat 400
y GGnfs per name. The increase In two
n 1oarn has thus boen 8%100 cents per
&0fane. Many Of the inspectors are
{vnndorfng 70 what extent this In
<cfoaso VlIl continue, with the rapid
En1bXth Of the city.
asIhe Inspectors complain that 1t 10
/ Forv hard to secure competent enum-
SnSotcrA" says Herbert l.. Reeves.
II 10 cterk Of the Board OF Education.
~1tnilor the present system. the census
I'M usually taken By men and women
&xko have NO regular employment-for
EfnbYe are few competent people who
WI leave their regular work for the
E13 Z day which the job pays. In the
ether hand, there arc some euumerat-
EvSs mh0 are employed year after year,
SnnA who have become skilled In the
%W0fk. hut know that many inspect
|S6fS have O. hard time finding people
IN their wards whom they can con-
oc}ontiously recommend. and the sec
5f0kary has frequently been asked II he
x1ooo not know people who can do the
2Work, and whom he will suggest to
IN inspectors. Some OF the inspect
Fofn look upon the appointment OF
xGGuWefetors as an annual bugbear."
The census OF 1913 was taken by SO
&6oumerators. Their work was check
EV4 ~ : H6rce Of extra clerks in the
BnC4o0I boards 0mces, hired for that
N &rpORe The checkers found many
Makes. For instance. In the Eight
kHnnth ward one enumerat0r turned In
h&1hool A. IN his district. The figure
M dSabsurd, sven in rapidly-grow-
"a sdistrict Another man was en-
md 10 10 over the territory, and
found m. increase of only about
S TN .1rst .eppmerator had to pay
3a1fG&S 81 employing the second
~ - the board lost nothing: but It
If ~ % show the possibility OF large
btokee, especially II the checkers
Nh Is al careless.
Moreover. the school board finds It
Y nnpo6n6h1os-a ndes the present system,
5o0gunply with the law The act OF
1404 Under which the census Is TAX
- 0rnx11na thai the cepaQa Rhall be.
x - 20 d1yD previous to the hrst Mon
~ In June, and alI6wG but 20 days
IN the enumUfItiUf = on the second
Z Mo0day In July, the secretary OF the
uord 81 Education IL required to
atranomH the certified census returns
~ the state superintendent of public
obstruction The Detroit census was
mt completed until September
III The superintendent of public in
2Ntucti0n II aware Of the difficulties
lNnder which. we labor. and does not
|feQuirotNs to comply strictly with the
$1aW." SayS Mr.. Reeves.
DR.. I1ncien e. Ellis, school inspector
|Dur the Sixteenth ward for several
years, made an unsuccessful tight for
y change In the method OF taking the
konousss but his death prevented him
from carrying out the reforms which
}ho advocated
h. L~Polk. Jr., secretary and treas
4 6ror orr l. Polk & Co. compilers Of
Rtho Detroit city directory and those OF
many Other cities. says:
Soma .years axo we were asked to
AZURE on taking the school census, but
nothing ever came Of It, We take the
NUtho0l census In st. Paul and several
4 64loF we have enumerators
!. Mhem ws employ the year round in
various cities Of Michigan, and who
4 ne trained In the work. I have no
\ oo01 Sthot~We could s4ake the school.
i eeuouor of~0etrntt@ chaaper than the
!; bo6y1'ean- have Il taken by unframed
( men. though I cannot give. an ofihand
estimate Of the probable cost"
When the attention Of DR.. Albert
gcM36n21f president Of the Board Of
B0uCatiou, was called 20 the increas-
sln1 toOot Of the census, he said = y
- have not given the matter much
Z thouSht hut II seems to be . serious
oueotiQA ipdeed.. am glad that you
& have spoken to me about II. and I
aohnlI certainty look into IT,