The Washington herald., 1913-09-29
WORK ON CENSUS
TO BE RUSHED
Plans Made for Fastening
Completion Of Vari-
GUS Tables.
REPORT OF COMMITTEE
Members, Named by Director HsAis,
Recommend Several Changes to
Help Facilitate the Task.
REPORT OF COMMITTEE
By J. STUART PRICE.

out from a mass of uncompleted sta
figures. the Bureau Of the Census. under
the guiding hand Of William J. Harris,
of Georgia, is emerging.
The new director recently appointed a
committee composed of William r. Mer-
riam, former Governor of Minnesota and
former director of the census: S y. d.
North. former director OF the census;
Prof. Walter r. Wilcox. of Cornell Uni
versity. and w. 5. ROssiter. formerly
chief clerk of the bureau. to make a
study of the present condition Of sta
tistical work, including particularly the
unfinished work of the thirteenth census.
This committee has made its report,
which embodies radical changes. Along
with other innovations and ideas he has
adapted at the Census Bureau, Director
Harris will have the recommendations Of
the committee followed out Immediately.
Unfinished work, at least that portion
Of it deemed vital and important, will
be rushed to completion. Long and COM
plicated tables Of figures are to be alb
breviated. In other words. the new di-
rector desires to have the department of
which he is the head a model business in
stitutiOn, where vital figures showing
the progress and development of the
country can be supplied to the public
quickly and accurately.
Two Branches of Work.
The committee appointed by Director
Harris discovered the questions con-
fronting It would have to be divided into
two separate divisions: First, and most
pressing, the disposition of the much
delayed work of the thirteenth census:
second. plans for the future conduct OF
the bureau. The investigation SO far
has taken up the first question. The
committee has made the following re-
port:
"Ca That the act authorizing the TAX
ing of the thirteenth census requires
that the reports of that cepsus shall be
completed and published On or before
July l, 1872; Cb) that although three and
one-half years have elapsed since the
enumeration itself. much of the thir-
tsenth census work is still uncompleted: /:
tC) that the regular annual reports and
other work required by law during the
intercensal period have been greatly de-
layed because a large body of census
clerks is still employed upon the delayed
work Of the thirteenth census: (dD that
the value and usefulness OF the annual
and other reports required by law are
largely dependent upon the promptness
to the public: and (e) that funds TO COM
plete the thirteenth census are very
limited because current appropriations
are required for the specific purposes for
which they were made.
No Additional Tables.
I'VE. therefore, advise the director
that no additional tabulations or analysis
are necessary in connection with the un-
.
sus, namely ID population. and C2) min
ing and quarries, and that the work on
those branches and on the delayed annual
reports can and should be readjusted so
as to insure their publication not later
than December 81, 1918, without detract-
ing from the value of these portions of
the census.
ITO this end we submit the following
recommendations:
Il. That it is undesirable to tabulate oc-
equations further than already done.
Stopping such unnecessary further work
will expedite the publication by about
six months and will reduce the cost of
finishing that branch of the work by
about $65,O0O. The tables already pre-
pared should be printed without addi-
tional deriyative tables or explanatory
text. These tables give the number of
persons ~ each sex in each occupation,
and classify them by race, nativity, and
parent nativity, and five age periods, so
that the publication of the primary
classification or occupational data as re-
ported at previous censuses is thus as
sured.
''2. That the report upon native
tongues be limited to the chapter to
appear in the forthcoming final VOL
ume on population.
For Immediate Printing.
"3. That the numerous tables relat-
ing to mines and quarries now in the
form of printed bulletins, proofs, or
manuscript, be sent to the Public
Printer at once, the same to constf-
tute the final reports on mines and
quarries, and that no further tabula-
tions or text be prepared in connec-
tion with that particular report.
~. That the tables for the benevo-
lent institutions, and for the insti-
tutional population-namely, prisoners.
insane and feeble minded. and pau
pers-be prepared and published with
out further percentage or other deriva-
tive tables and without explanatory
text.
IS That the annual compilation of
the statistics OF forest products be
abandoned, since there appears to be
no authority of law for an annual in
quiry Of this character. which records