Evening star., 1916-10-01

/
pleting the manufactures census for
1914. This sounds
Speeding The as though the fig
Census Work. cient but how about
the time when this census was made
public hve years after the work was
| undertaken. and then we thought we
were lucky? AS a matter of fact, very
few of US realize the tremendous
amount Of work that is turned out by
Uncle Sans census office. In addition
to the manufactures census and the
general population census, many other
censuses are undertaken at stated inter-
walls. such as the tobacco census, now
taken four times year.
The work of this division Of the fed
erai government, now the greatest sta
tfstical ofI1ce in the world, represents
the outgrowth and development of a
century and quarter of periodical,
and in recent years continuous. sta
tistical inquiry,
The records show that less than a
had achieved their independence, and
within a year from the date OF the
inauguration of Gen. WASHINGTON and
the assembling of the First Congress
the first enumeration of the population
Of this country. This was taken in
1890.
1t is interesting to note that this
arst census was taken by the United
States marshals. Of whom there were
seventeen at that time, the actual work
being performed by their assistants,
OF whom there were some $50. This
census related solely to population.
the name of the head Of each family
being taken. together with the total
number of persons in the family,
CLASSIFIED as free or slave.
The expansion of this work of the
census office from 1890 to the present
comparison Of the single volume Of
hfty-six pages to the volumes of the
latest census. aggregating some 10000
or more pages.
OF the cost of the first census taken by
this government. but the amount spent
Tor the last decennial census was, in
round numbers. s15.970, 900.
While various 1abor-saving machines
have been installed by the government
from time to time. there is perhaps no
bureau of the entire fabric of federal
work that has benefited more by the
use OF modern machinery. In fact, the
census ONCE is doing today with the
iutely impossible If hand labor had to
be employed. From time to time various
reforms and improvements have been
inaugurated in this Office and at pres
practically up to date-a condition
which has not until recently existed
during the bureaus history.
According to officials Of the bureau,
the frst use of mechanical appliances
in the compilation of census data was
made during the closing months Of the
work on the census Of 1870, when a
simple tallying machine was employed
with good results.
At the census of 1890 there was int
which. with notifications and Improve,
ments. is still employed, These cards
are punched by what is known as
verihcation machine, which is almost
human in its work. throwing out all
cards with errors. Following this, the
cards are put through an automatic
sorting machine which takes care OF
some 300 cards a minute; following
which the card is placed in still another
machine. which counts them at the rate
of 800 a minute. purely automaticaily.
ana nnally they are put into still a
fourth machine. which records each
item of information indicated on the
card. va
portance of the attitude of parents
toward the work of
Parents and members of the boys
r. m.l agricultural clubs
'' which have been or
ganized throughout the country by the
Department of Agriculture is found by
specialists in cooperative demonstra-
tion work in two cases recently re-
ported. The incidents are accepted as
showing the value of parental SYM
pathy and consideration, particularly
ing the members of the younger gen.
GRAFTON on the farm.
In one case the officials of the de.
partment found that the boy of the
family was helped and encoura eed from,
the time he first joined a corn club. His
father permitted the use of one of the
best acres on the farm, gave him barn
YARD manure and allowed the use Of
necessary horses and machinery. The
young club member produced more than
100 bushels Of corn on his single acre
the first year. and has been consistently
successful ever since. He has even es-
tablished a reputation as a breeder of
Of his membership in the corn. pig and
other clubs he has won more than s400
In prizes. and with his profits has
acquired ownership of seven head of
pOi e-oIeu buToC Jersey nORS, SIX neaQ
Of well bred cattle and a horse. The
home is said to be ideal. the father
and son being reported as "chupmy
as school boys" The boy has no
thought of taking up life in the city,
but is planning a constructive future
on the farm.
On the other hand. the second case
has been entirely different The young
son OF this family Joined a kafir club,
but when the crop was gathered the
grain was placed in a general farm
bin and he received no value from it.
The following year he Joined a pig
club. and when his father called .at-
tention to the lack of feed he hired
himself to a neighboring farmer to Sc
cure funds. The money which he
father Wholly discouraged, the young
boy shortly afterward ran away from
home and is now working in a city of a
neighboring state. The department is
urging that parents permit the young
people to receive the full financial
profits of their own industry.
Uncle Sans mail service is a great
hopper into which millions pour their
sorrow 8, joys and
improving the achievements in the
Mail Service. po.tals' s. In Inters order @ to
dispatch these promptly to their vari-
Gus destinations they must first be sep
arated. In the larger post Offices of
the country. owing to the practice of