New-York tribune., 1918-02-15
Let Women Help
Why Is Our State Census Not Made
Use OF?
To the Editor of The Tribune

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: | have read with much interest the
article in The Sunday Tribune by Ralph
Block entitled "American Woman Only Still
Denied Her Fair Share of Serious War Work !"
in which Washington is called to account for
its failure to give the woman power of the
country any serious consideration. I think
that Mr.. Block might extend this arraign-
rnent to specifically include Albany and our
own state administration, judging from a re-
cent experience that I have had.
Last October Governor Charles S. Whitman
made an address to the Women's Division of
the State Defence Council in the Assembly
Chamber, Albany, in which he said: "Many
of you familiar with the work done by
this state in taking the census and inventory
of its military and industrial resources. The
census was great enrolling of the man
power and the woman power of the state.
Nothing could be finer than the splendid
spirit in which the women of the state came
forward and gave of their time and their
abilities to assist in making the enrolment.
New York was pioneer among the states in
taking such census, and it's work in that re-
gard has commanded the admiration of other
states and the desire in many of them to
duplicate our efforts. / cannot undertake in
the course of these few remarks to discuss
the many benefits derived from that census.
1T is sufficient to say, however, that the time
that the women devoted to that work was
time we'll spent and appreciated by the
state, and | desire to express the grateful
appreciation of myself and the other mem
bers of the Defence Council for the work you
did in that regard"
In January saw an announcement from
the War Department that 81 900 nurses will
be needed on the basis of present estimates
for an army of 100000 men. AS I served
as a volunteer enumerator, l knew that the
state military census included statistics as
to the number of women engaged in nursing
in New York State, and | also knew that the
census registration figures showed an enrol
ment Of 2,901 ,060 women in New York State.
l wrote to Albany for information as to the
number of women engaged in nursing, and
received the following answer from the ad-
lutant generals Office:
"Rcplying to your letter of January 80, beg
TO inform you that there has been no tabula-
tion of the state military census, and, there
fore, am unable to inform you as to the
number of women engaged in Nursing or
available for such service. There is no ap-
preparation for tabulatng or sorting the
womens census cards. Very truly yours,
Albert E. Dale, deputy director state mill
tary census"
Can you Mr.. Block tell me why 29O1,-
O60 women in this state were ordered by
proclamation of the Governor of the State of
New York to register in person for the state
military census, and told that failu e to obey
this order would make them liable to a pen
atty under Chapter 1903 of the Laws of 1917 ?
Why such expenditure Of time and energy, to
say nothing Of the expense attached if the
returns were not to be tabulated, so that we
might have card index of the women cit-
zens of the State of New York, showing what
they possess and what they can do?
B. VAN H. STEVENSON.
Brooklyn, Feb. TO- 1918