Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1917-06-12
SURE AND STEADY GAIN IN PoPu-
LAIioN CONTINUED FROM
YEAR TO YEAR.
orATE CENSUS EDITOR
ANALYZEs ARMY STATISTICS
Ora Williams Declares Tendency Of
Young Men to Seek Fields Of Labor
Elsewhere Has Been cheeked-mili-
tary Registration Held to Be Help
full and inspiring to Every Iowan.

Special to Ttmes-Republican.
Des Moines, June 1.-THE sure and
steady growth Of Iowa is being con-
tinued from year to year.
The tendency of the young men to
seek fields Of labor elsewhere has been
checked
These things are confidently assert
ed as fair conclusions drawn from the
military registration OF last week in
Iowa. according to Ora Williams, editor
of the census.
The military registration IS heipiui
and inspiring to every loyal lowan ana
too much can not be done in the way
of making the facts known he says.
1.-TWO things are shown conclusNely'
first, the continued steady growth OF
Iowa in population and, second, tnat'
while Iowa is not quite normal as 10
distribution of population by age
classes, conditions are far better than
they formerly were.
According TO the United States cen
sus of 1900, 81 per cent OF the entire
population Of the United States were
men Of the military age. On this basis
our registration in Iowa shows an
actual population Of 2,36S,OOO- This
would be substantially l1,0OO more than
was shown by the. actual count OF the
census practically a year and a haif
ago@l but in fact it shows that the
population is even more than that.
Conditions in Iowa are not quite aver
age: for we have a smaller proportion
of men OF the military age than in the
United States as whole, or, at least,
that has been the situation in the past.
If this would be taken into account,
then the conclusion Is unavoidable that
Iowa has more than 100000 popula-
ton today The average yearly in
crease of population in Iowa for many
wears has been from 10000 to 15,0Uo.
This is evidently being kept up.
"The estimate Of registration totals
for Iowa given out in Washington was
too low for Iowa, because those who
made the estimate did not have &C
curate figures as to actual population.
They had evidently chosen to continue
the old exploded fetish about popula-
ton in Iowa being on the oeciine'
which it il not The estimate, Whicn
we made from the census, was too 10"
chiefly because we overestimated the
abnormal conditions as to age classes
in Iowa According to both the federal
and state enumerations in recent years,
the average age Of people In Iowa mas
been increasing The old people re-
naming and the young people leaving
the state. It was because Of this long
time fact Of Iowa's history. as revealed
in the actual census count, that 10"
estimate was placed on the number of
: registrations to be expected.
Tendency Checked.
Happily the registration proves con-
clusively that this tendency OF Iowa
Young people to seek opportunities
elsewhere has been definitely checked
and Iowa is approaching to normal
condition in this respect.
Registration returns show that the
number Of men registered for military
service was larger than the fair esti-
mate based on census figures IN
seyenty-four counties. Counties in
which the registration was 20 per cent
or more above the estimate are Cerrc
Gordo, Ida Emmett. Buena Vista, Dick
inson. Clay. Hancock. Humboldt.
Franklin, Story, Pocahontas. kossuth,
Worth. Audubon, Crawford. Lyon,
O'Brien. Palo Alto and Shelby. Those
in which the disappointment. if It may
be so called, was 10 per cent or more
are Van Buren,. Clarke, Monroe, Mills,
Taylor. Mahaska- Henry and Davis.
The geographical distribution OF
these counties does not need to be
pointed out. Northwest from Jasper
county. as a base, but two counties
show low registration.
In a few cases the surprise may De
laid TO the shifting population Of a
mining district. But in other instances
it is due to development of industrial
centers.
The above figures are not inclusive