Evening star., 1924-11-16
Real Workers in the National Capital

Year after year leaders in Congress
and In public life also are realizing that
as no individual business man would
think OF conducting his business and
planning extensions without having de-
tailed basic information about his plant.
sources OF supply, personnel, possible
and probable markets, trends that in
huence the cost Of production, etc, SO
Uncle Sam, conducting the biggest busi-
ness in the world. should have assem-
bled the most reliable data about all ele-
ments that enter into our social and in
dustrial relations.
How Public Is Served.
Here is one little illustration of how
great a task the Census Bureau has and
how promptly through its trained force
and special electrical machinery it serves
the public. There are over 10000 cotton
ginneries in this country. In order to
collect information concerning the cot
ton crop 1t is Necessary for the Census
Bureau to secure from each gin twelve
times during the ginning season the
quantity Of cotton ginned to specified
dates. In this branch Of the work alone
700 local agents are employed. The data
is wired TO Washington, assembled and
| made available officially the next
| morning.
In the last census there were 2,ooS,-
| 900, 600 cards put through the tabulatng
machines, which would have required
the services Of hundreds Of thousands
| Of clerks by the old hand method OF
| tabulation in vogue during the early
years OF Mr.. Steuart's service.
Vital Statistics Collected.
The collection and tabulation of
vital statistics is another important
phase of the work that Mr.. Steuart
heads up. These are gathered by reg
| istration area. All Of the States have
| passed a registration law but South
Dakota. Nevada and Arizona Inc
| following have adopted the law but
have not made appropriations Tor
| carrying il out-North Dakota, New
| Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma. Arkansas,
Alabama and West Virginia. Those
| States have no record of death IN
all the other States the number OF
| deaths are reported to the census
Bureau. and last year the number was
1,l93,017. A similar area has been
established for reports OF births, and
these last year totaled l,792,64o. All
this material is put onto cards so as
to show the sex, nationality and other
personal factors, SO as to show the
mortality as it may vary among dlf-
| ferent nationalities and for various
diseases.
Marriage and divorce statistics are
also gathered in the vital statistics
| division.
And now, on top Of all this comes
the trail blazing agricultural census.
Every one knows there has been a
great agitation for more definite in
formation concerning actual condl-
tions among the farmers. In no way
can the actual conditions be author
itatively ascertained except by visit
to each individual farmer and a re-
port from him on the value Of his
farm building, number of animals.
equipment, crops, etc. This census
is to be used by the Department of
Agriculture in making its annual es-
Inmates of production.
Preliminary TO gathering this CEN
sus the bureau has sent a bundle of
blanks to each one of the 44,9lo rural
free delivery mail carriers and the
1886 star route carriers to be hand
ed to the farmers.
The Bureau Of the Census is en-
polying farmers themselves to take
the agricultural census. 1T Is a far
| mer's job and for the farmers bene-
fit" Mr.. Steuart explains. The enum-
Grafton was planned for a time when
| the farmers are not busy a their
usual farm work, and it is thought
that they will be glad to act as enum-
orators. They are paid from % to so
! cents for each report secured, an ad-
| justment being made where farms are
| particularly inaccessible.