Evening star., 1920-01-01
WORK Of TAKING
j. s. CENSUS WILL
BEGIN TOMORROW
81, 900 Enumerators, 367
Here, to Serve in Biggest
> Peace-t;me Task.

The greatest peace-time activity OF
the government will get under way
tomorrow.
In every city. hamlet and rural dis
trict in the United States and its pos
sessions enumerators for the four
teenth decennial census will begin
their immense task of compiling data
on the inhabitants of the United
States. There are $1,000 of these emu
merators, operating in 3d2 census dis
tricts in the United States and within
the next month and half the name
and age of every man. woman ana
child in the United States. as TeII as
every important fact needed by the
government in its vast census under
taking. will be ready to send to WASH
ington to be compiled and tabulated-
These $1,000 enumerators are backed
by 372 census supervisors. each OF
whom has jurisdiction over his dls-
trict, the lines of which generally fol-
low those of the congressional dis
tricts. Behind this immense field force
stands the administrative stan at
Washington, headed by sam l.. Rog-
ers, director of the census
367 EnumerntOrs for ID. c.
Before nightfall tomorrow a con-
the District of Columbia will have
been asked the necessary questions
by the 367 census enumerators sent
out under the direction of Robert F..
N1dttinEly, QlrectOr OF Ine census LOT
the District They will start out
early tomorrow morning. each in his
or her particular section of the city.
and will not finish their work until
the name of every person in the Dis
trict has been secured and the peril
nent facts concerning this person
have been made a matter of record.
To the end that there may be no
hesitancy in answering the questions
asked by census enumerators. the
h,.rn hoe cd f(Y.
some time past in the immense task
of educating those not familiar with
the work of the census into the be
lief that the census is being taken
for the good of every person in the
United States. There should be no
backwardness about answering the
questions asked by the enumerators,
census officials say. and the facts
obtained will be used only for census
purposes.
Not only will the name of every
person in the District of Columbia be
obtained. as well as that of every
person in the United States. but facts
concerning the 3O0-odd farms in the
District will be obtained. All sorts
of agricultural facts are necessary
to the successful compilation of the
census, such as value of crops. land
values. income values and other es-
sential data.
VIII Furnish Interpreters.
Census officials have agreed to fur
nish enumerators in the District with
interpreters where interpreters are
necessary. Included in the 367 emu
merators in the District are one Jap
anese and three Chinese. who have
been assigned to cover districts
where their races predominate.
Many of the census enumerators
speak more than one language. In
common with enumerators in other
districts, the workers in the Dis
trict Of Columbia yesterday COM
pleted their course of schooling in
preparation for their big task. and
are prepared to start out tomorrow
morning furnished with foundation
of splendid training for their work.
Here is one essential point: Every
person approached Is required to an
swer the questions asked by the emu
nierators on penalty of fine. and also
The enumerators are protected by the
United States government against
violence of any sort.
Eensus enumerators have the rlght
to enter any dwelling and have the
right to ask every question contained
in the census schedule and to obtain
answers for them. They are asked to
disregard any Information which they
may believe is false, and are sworn
to secrecy regarding the information
they receive.
Persons enumerated in the District
Of Columbia. by answering questions
ID vote in their home states. This
has been ruled by the director of the
census All persons in prisons. asy-
luns Administrations, soldiers. SAIL
ors and marines and civilian employees
OF the United States are to be enum-
Grated.
No special provision has been made
for enumerating the President of the
United States and the White House
family. These will be handled in the
regular way. Mr.. Mattingly was at
hrst asked to make the enumeration
az the White House, but, as he jocose-
ly EXPLAINS he was afraid to meet Jo-
seph Tumulty, secretary to the Presi-
The White House is included in the
territory of Raymond L. Caster of
1875 F street, and he will make the
enumeration of all the persons there
IN: Cabinet officers and other govern
ment officials will be enumerated by
the men and women assigned to cover
their districts.
The census taking will start on jan
nary 2, Mr.. Rogers explains. because
most Of the people will be too busy
celebrating to answer questions New
Year day. Any one dying after Janu-
ary 1 must be, however. recorded as
alive when the enumerator reaches
tie house: but baby born on the
day the census taking begins cannot
be counted.
why Work Done In Winter
For the first time since 1890. when
the first census was taken in August,
the national census will be taken in
winter. This has been decided, it
was explained, because the. farmers
persuaded Congress they had more
time in which to answer questions in
the winter. Estimates made unoffi-
cially place the population of the
United States at more than 106,OOo,-
o90 people.
After enumerating all the persons
in their districts the local supervisors
check up the enumeration sheets to
Assure their correctness. The sheets
are then sent to Washington, revised
by experts and a card made out for
e1ch name. Then the cards are run
through tabulators, which count 120.-
oS0 persons an hour
s'abulation of the entire population
II the United States will bring to
Washington about 1,500 new clerks
ernerts in census tabulation, this
fdrce bringing the entire central Of
fice census staff up to about 1000 per-
sons. More than 1000 clerks are now
located in the central office of the
c6nsus bureau at II street and Mis-
souri, avenue, preparing for the vast
inaux of names and data that VIII
hf1in about the middle of February.
Most of these clerks will be employed
fos. a wear or more and the peak of
,he work will be reached in August
~ this year The tabulation of the
incubation is expected to be nearly
completed by September. Following
the completion of this job the work
will be shifted to tabulating the agrl-