Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-05
JUVENILE CENSUS
NEAR COMPLETION
Official Count of Children Ex-
pected to Be Ready
by March.

Washington's eagerly awaited jul
venile census. the first official count
In the history OF the city of children
between the ages of 3 and Is years,
was announced today as seven
tenths completed. with the probable
ity that the final reports of enumer-
ators will be completed by March.
While this is the third forecast that
has been made concerning the com
pletion of the interesting census. Miss
F. L. Bentley, director of the depart
ment of school attendance and work
permits. pointed out today that the
task is a monumental one. in which
she now has only five enumerators
working. 1t was first predicted in
the annual report of DR.. Frank w
Ballou, superintendent of schools, that
the census would be finished by Sep
TENDER, and later December was set
as the period of completion.
Large Section Remains.
A careful check-up today on the
map of the city being used in the
census on which the enumerators
daily pencil out the squares they
have covered shows that one large
section remains to be covered. This
is the entire northwest section, bound
ed on the east by Rhode Island ave
nue., on the north by the Maryland
line, on the west by Georgia avenue
and Thirteenth street and on the
south by Florida avenue. In this
area there Is but one strip lying
southwest of the Soldiers Home and
lower half Of Petworth that have
been covered.
Miss Bentley plans to put all of the
five enumerators to work on this sec
r;r
small uncanvassed sections in the
parts Of the city they have been as
signed.
Another territory which has not
been reached by the enumerators is
that bounded on the south by Con
necticut avenue and on the north by
Rock Creek Park, including the Trum-
bull Circle territory. Small areas
around Thomas Circle, Dupont Circle
and Mount Vernon square also re-
main untouched.
Anacostia Covered.
In the northeast and southeast there
is a strip north and south of the Lin
coin Park area and east of Fourteenth
street, southeast out to the jail which
must be worked. but the entire section
across the bridge in Anacostia has
been covered.
which the census will be put when 1t
is completed One Is to give the
school authorities an accurate method
of preparing for school enrollments
and the other Is to check up on chill
dren who might be evading the com
puIsory school attendance law.
Miss Bentley declared today that
her enumerators have been accorded
splendid cooperation in their thou
lr % 1;ott q N a.
ton. Inasmuch as the work Is being
done afoot, there being no funds for
automobiles for the enumerators. it
can be appreciated, she says, that
their task is no simple one.
During the Summer months Miss
Bentley impressed into service In the
census the II school-attendance Off
GERS, giving her 16 enumera tors. but
when school opened she again found
herself with but five enumerators.
Uses for Census.
There are many uses to which
the census figures can be put" Miss
Bentley reminded today, outside of
the two for which 1t is primarily
being taken.
For instance, years from now it
may be necessary to establish the age
of certain men and women. This
could be done through reference to
the census carde Also in the plan
ming of playground facilities reference
tour files would tell the number of
children who would be benefited in
any given area / expect, as time
goes on, that we will be able to put
our data to numerous uses which
were not In the minds of those who
drafted and sponsored the law"
1t has been found that the average
output of an enumerator is 100 names
a day This does not mean, however,
that they only visit 100 homes a day,
as, of course, many families they in
terrogate are either chfldless or nave
children outside of the ages being IN
cIuded in the census.