Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-03-05

lumber sources.
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years on the Norwegian west coast
and have grown well. In the same
period conifers from Germany. Austria,
tested. but because Of marked differ
ences between their native climates and
that Of Norway they have not thrived
1t is because these comparative tests
have pointed SO plainly to America as
the best source Of new stock that the
Nowegians are coming here to carry
out their novel project, which practt-
cally amounts to the expectation OF
forests.
A large majority, perhaps, of the mil
lions Of persons whose noses are
counted by the census
Ac+;v;+;., ~ bureau each ten years
have the notion that
the CensuS. that is the sole func-
ton of the governments big statistical
agency, and that there is little for it
to do in the decennial periods that in
tervene between successive countings.
AS matter Of fact. of course. numer-
Gus other periodical Investigations are
carried on by the bureau, separated by
time intervals of from two weeks to
ten years. these activities In them
selves keeping the stan OF employees
'airly busy But, in addition to all
his, there is still another big field Of
work for the bureau-the study and
working up Of information OF vital I'M
portance that is buried away IN the
Office files of punched cards and hand.
filled schedules for past decennfal
enumerations.
some work of this sort has already
been done, notably the preparation OF
special reports on occupations, negroes
and Indians. But the records still con-
stitute a mine of information of in
The bureau is anxious to make this
gathered information accessible by
compilation and interpretation, and
whites away at the task whenever
bits Of time may be found between
the regular periodical investigations.
1t is more than probable, however. that
no great progress will be made toward
complete utilization of the past census
reports until Congress is enough i'm
pressed with the value Of this form Of
social bookkeeping to authorize an In
crease in the bureau staff.
One Of the most important subjects
on which light might be shed by a
study OF material on hand In the offices
of the census bureau is that OF family
conditions. Work which another gov
eminent bureau is most anxious to
prosecute. in fact. it will be wholly
impossible to start until fuller family
studies have been made from the CEN
sus records. This is the investigation
into the relation of employment of
mothers in industry to infant NOR
tality. that the children's bureau de-
sires to carry on. When 1t attempted
to map out the proposed work, the
children's bureau discovered that not
even the fundamental data were avail
able-a knowledge of how many moth
ers there are in the United States. and
what proportion of them are gainfully
employed outside their homes. This
seeming deadlock has been called to
dren's bureau in the hope that some
special provision will be made to make
possible the tapping Of the stored-up
but now unavailable. knowledge.
In spite of the restricted staff with
which the census bureau is carrying
on the big statistical work of the coun-
try, it is managing each year to COM
plete some new studies from its rec
ords. 1t is planning to carry further
soon the studies on occupations and
the study of it's data relating to child
labor and to family structure as shown
by children born and living.
In Its general statistical work the
that make more and more for accuracy
Thus for the old statistics which
showed at each enumeration the num-
Der of prisoners in Jail there has been
substituted the collection of data for
the number OF offenders Jailed since the
last gathering of information-a much
more valuable index to existing crime
In the collection of its annual vital
statistics the bureau has recognized the
great differences of race and racial
modes OF life. and Is now gathering
separate vital statistics for the white
and negro populations of all cities hay-
ing as many as 10000 negro residents.
Finally the bureau is eliminating the
lnJustices that have been done in the
past to many cities that have exceed
ingly healthful climates-so healthful.
indeed. that they have attracted hum
dreds of invalids within their borders.
The death rate among the itinerant in
valids has. of course been unusually
high, and. consequently. the death rates
Tor the cities have been increased
cities in general have been penalized
IN the same way by the possession of
excellent hospital facilities which have
or operations from the rural districts
and small surrounding towns The
bureau has done away with the in
Justices of the general statistics of the
past by listing separately for each
community the deaths of residents and
non-residents ~
An indication of the rich and unex-
piored fields Of products that the Phil
ippine archipela-
An Oil-Producing go contains and
pb;l;nn;, NJ of how they are
b ing developed
FOR industry by the government scien-
lists has come to the Department of
Commerce in a report Of wholly new
oil-producing nut of wide distribution
that has been discovered in the isla nds.
A recently arrived resident in one of
the outlying districts of the islands,
not familiar with the flora. undertook
TO send sack of a certain kind of
nuts to a friend in Manila. When the
nuts arrived they were of a kind who'll
ly unknown to the recipient; and be-
cause of the interest the government
bureau of science has aroused by It's
work he took some of the nuts to it's
laboratories.
The nuts were also unknown to the
scientists. but they tested the kernels
and found that an excellent yield of
non-drying oil could be secured from
them. This oil was recommended for
soap making. Already Manila soap
manufacturing concern has shipped in
and has turned out by the use of the
oil an entirely satisfactory product
An interesting fact in connection
with the discovery of the commercial
value Of the nut Is that it's oil was
formerly much used by the natives as
an illumfnant, but was abandoned and
even forgotten when petroleum was in