The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-02-21
GETTING READY
FOR i. S. CENSUS
Big Job Will Be Started
July l, 1919, Though
not Enumeration
20 QUESTIONS FOR
EVERY INDIVIDUAL
Tabulation of 1920 Figures Will Be
Almost Completely Machine oper-
ation-Many Useful Devices Invent
ed to Assist in Huge Job.

WASHINGTON, Feb 2l.-With hostil
laying the basis for one of the greater of
| its peace time tasks-the decennial inyen-
| tory of the United States, its people,
| lands, industry, and livestock that is
Redheld the other day signed the order
that transferred one of the largest of the
temporary war buildings put up in Wash
ingon, that formerly housed the army's
department of aereonauties, to Director
Eof the Census Rogers and his staff.
Actually, the government began the
I job some months ago, assembling its plans
and forces. By law, the beginning of the
census period of 1920 is July |, 1919,
though it will not be until year from
i April that the enumerators will be set
at work. 1t is then that every individual
| in America, or some one acting for the
individual will be asked the series of
questions that must be answered
1 There will be % of these questions in
the 1920 census, according to the present
! design of Director Rogerss dummy cards,
which now are being given the exhaustive
study of statisticians. The more complex
questionnalres that go to industrial es.
adjustments, schools, farms, and every
other permanent institution of the ooun
try are likewise in the development stage
: undergoing critical examinations in the
:. light of experience the government has
gained in conducting IL inventories OF the
kind
i Chiefly the bureau is engaged in pre-
pairing for the classification and tabula
ton of the vast quantity of material which
will be assembled. The 1920 census tabu
: lation will be for the first time almost
completely a machine operation, conduct
, ed by means of devices useful only X
the census bureau of the United State:
, which have been invented and are now
being built by men in It's employ. Elec
trlc machines will first transfer the writ
ten information on coming in on the enu
merators' sheets to cards, not by writing
but by punching holes at proper points
. Then the punched cards will be handed
in their millions to another battery o
machines, the tabulators, an amazing prod
uct of human ingenuity. L. NJ. Boiteaux
who devised them, has been with the cen
: sus for Is years, and is now superiptend
J. ing the construction of 25 machines, tn
operation of which he will direct
These tabulators, working with smooth
and silent perfection, take in 400 card
a minute. count them, reject all that ar
imperfect or improperly punched in an.
fashion, and take off the totals Of plIncl
printed figures on handy sheets. One o
t them the other day in eight hours, han
: died 10000 cards, compiling information
that would represent the Dopulatiou sta
tistics of a very stable American city
Their experimental use was commences
4 after the 1910 census, but Mr. Boiteau,
II has since devoted most of his time t
II their improvement, and to the extension
II OF their abilities.
II The machines resemble in outward as
II pect a piece of Office furniture Card
go into metallic magazine at their tor
II travel a few inches on metal guides, com
II out neatly stacked with the mistakes @
the punching machines-which have mere
II " human operators-pointed out Tn
II printed records of the Is or 20 totals. tina
Il the punch marks indicate come out fror
HI another slot, and the instrument stand
II ready to repeat
III With these machines, there is a pras
II teal assurance that the publications {
II the census, usually coming out a Ion
II time after the enumeration, may be NOR
II quickly at hand to guide the estimate
II of governmental and industrial leaders
II and generally guide and demonstrate til
II progress of national civilization The
II are being produced largely by the wor
H of youthful apprentices from Washingto
II schools, which have vocational courses.
IL