The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-02-22
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Governor .Holcomb Express
es Gratitude For Patriot
ic Response of Workers.

Hartford, Feb. Ex-Governor Mar
Gus H. Holcomb, paid a personal visit
late this afternoon to the state head
quarters of the Connecticut bureau
of military census in the Connecticut
Mutual Building here.
Under the plan by which the census
is being taken, the governor is the
head of the entire organization, those
actively directing the work being des-
ignated as the committee of assist
ants to the governor for the military
census Governor Holcomb is re-
ceiving daily reports on the progress
of the census which he advocated be-
fore a joint session of the Legislature
following the break with Germany,
and intends to drop i'm at headquar-
tiers from time to time to see what
is being done.
The scene which greeted the COVER
nor at headquarters to-day differed
largely from that which he saw on the
occasion of his first visit here. Then
there were about fifteen clerks and
volunteer workers engaged in hand
ling the headquarters work. To-day
he found about fifty persons engaged
in sending out blanks, handling details
of the census and preparing the rec
ords for preservation.
s'This is wonderful" said the COVER
nor as he was taken from one room
to another by members of his commit
tee of assistants. Nothing could be
handled better than this work is be-
ing done. If the event which we
all hope will never come ever does in
terrupt our peace, Connecticut and the
whole nation will have reason to be
earnestly thankful that this work is
being done so thoroughly.
II don't know how to express in
words the real gratitude I feel for the
patriotic response Of the men and
women, of Connecticut to the states
appeal for help in this work. I knew
when went before the Legislature
that it would be possible to- find vol
unteers enough to do the work, but
r must confess that the response has
been far greater than I expected. Our
state has showed once again that it
can be relied upon to the fullest ex-
tent when patriotism calls.
Every one engaged in this under
taking which means SO much to us all
may realize fully that the state appre-
ciates the prompt response and SPLEEN
did service rendered to make our
military census all that it should be"
Governor Holcomb was specially in
terested in the tabulating operations.
which had not been begun on the /oc-
casion Of his previous visit. He saw
blanks being received. from many
towns and saw them being numbered.
Then he saw cards being made out
with corresponding numbers and with
the name Of the individual enrolled.
and saw young women workers put
ting code numbers on the blanks. The
permanent record cards, punched with
a series of holes according to the code,
interested the governor, and for sew
eral minutes he watched the nimble
fingers of the young women engaged in
this part of the tabulation. | Last of
all, Governor Holcomb saw the ma
chimes which sort and tabulate the
cards at the rate Of ESQ or more min
ute, and he watched intently as dem
onstration of the machines was given.
cts all Splendid the governor
said. '.None but the specialists who
have devised this part Of the work
could have made anything so COM
plete, so comprehensive. did : not
expect to Sc as much real progress
made so soon; it means certain sue
cess for our census of the states re-
sources
Governor Holcomb was accompan-
led on his visit to the headquarters by
Meigs H. Whapples Of Hartford.