Evening star., 1928-01-29
BY WILLIAM RUFUS SCOTT.

Active preparations for the census OF
1880 are under way at the Census Bu-
reau here, although expansion OF the
force will not begin substantially until
next year.
Prom around TOO employees on the
regular roll the number will mount 70
about 1000 at the peak. In 1890. and
for the actual field work 100000 or
more enumerators may be required
temporarily. The task OF mapping the
United States into enumeration zones
Is one of the present absorbing inter
ests of the bureau.
DR.. Joseph A. HILL assistant TO the
director OF the census, reports that the
geographer's division will perform It's
work more efficiently for this census
than ever before because the work was
started earlier. II the enumerators In
the field do not know precisely the
boundaries OF their districts confusion
results In errors that II Is hoped 70
avoid henceforth. In cities the dis
tricts must be defined by blocks. Cor
| respondence with local ofhcials all over
the country is yoluminous.
Mechanical Department Program.
In the mechanical department equal
foresight Is being shown. BY the time
the returns begin coming In the extra
| machines 10 expedite the tabulation
win be installed and ready TO give
quicker reports 70 the Nation than
hitherto. improvements have been
made In the complicated machines that
accelerate the output vastly.
II Washington Government clerk
| who began In the Census Bureau IN
| 1900, for instance. and then went "a
some other bureau should return 10
| the Census Bureau now and see what
| strides have been made mechanically
over old hand methods. or semi-auto"
matte methods, he would be astonished
For the most part the Inventions have
been made In the once and the ma
chimes frequently are inspected by ex-
perts from foreign lands seeking new
| Ideas In census work.
Upon the decision Congress makes
about q distribution census" for the
whole country will depend an increase
| In the size of the force In Washington
and In the feld. Already such q CEN
sus has been made In II cities II II
| should be made % cover aii cities Of
say, $4,000 population and over. the
Washington force would be augmented
somewhat and special field force oi
perhaps 1000 enumerators would bt
required aside from the 100. 900 regular
enumeratOrs.
Manufacturing Values Shown.
For manly years the bureau has been
furnishing u manufacturers an exact
biennial census of manufacturing out
put, q bureau report states. Th1 total
value Of this output was known In odd
numbered years from 1919 10 1928 In
elusive At the factory doors the value
was t63. .000. 900, 900 IN 1875. II WA
known what proportion represented raw
materials, what value was added
through manufacturing. the number ol
employees and their wages.
In the fleld OF merchandising no such
information WAS available, The whole
saieT or retailer had no definite idea
Of the volume Of business In his par
ticular line, nor of the number Of em'
pioyeE or salaries paid per dollar ol
Esies A national distribution confer
snee, sponsored by the Chamber oi
Commerce of the United States, asked
Secretary of Commerce Hoover 10 ap'
| ,oint COMMITTEES on collection ~ bus
iness ngurss ia the great nsid 0t meI
rtewsias nastFtsr.tt1n