Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-19
ARMY OF CENSUS TAKERS
TO COUNT NOSES In FALL
Vast Force to Be Used i'm Gathering Data
About More Than 12O,O0O,00O
Persons i'm November.
A ND 1t came to pass in those
~ days that there went out
"A decree from Caesar Augustus

II A ND 1t came to pass in those
80 ~ days that there went out a
II decree from Caesar Augustus
\ that all the world should
be enrolled. And all went
to be enrolled, every one into his own
city. And Joseph also went up from
Galilee. out of the city of Nazareth,
into Judea, unto the city of David,
which Is called Bethlehem, because he
4as of the house and lineage of David"
Thus st. Luke described the manner
Of taking the census i'll the reign OF
Caesar Augustus when he gave the set
ting for one of the most important
events that has taken place i'll this
world.
In the present day call also has
gone out for the enrolment of the ma
ton, but it is no longer possible for
the population to come to the census
taker That official must go out among
the people. For that purpose the
greatest army of census takers ever
modified will swarm over the land
probably next November.
Will Cost $4,000, 900.
The immensely of the task becomes
apparent when it is considered that in
less than one month it will be neces-
sary to tabulate about 100000 in
habitants of this country and to OBJ
tain extensive information about $780,
900 farms, $4,000 mines and quarries
and more than 100000 irrigation and
drainage projects. The cost of doing
this will be in the neighborhood of
$4O,000,000.
In sharp contrast to the task that
lies ahead of the Federal Bureau of the
Census was the first enrolment of
population, taken under constitutional
mandate in 1890. The law provided
that it should be completed in nine
months. Twice this time elapsed, how
ever, before all the returns were made.
The first census was taken under the
supervision of the United States mar
shalS, II in number. The assistants of
each-totaling in all 650-performed
the actual task of counting the popu-
lation, which did not quite reach 4.000,-
600. The returns were made direct by
the marShalS to the President. who
turned them over to the Secretary OF
State.
No clerical force was employed for
compilation. verification or correction
The results were printed without ex-
planatory text, and modern statistics,
such as percentages of native and for
eign born and involved analyses, were
unknown. The whole story Is con-
tanned in volume OF Sc pages,
discolored and crumbling now In the
archives of the Congressional Library.
Covered Large Territory.
But. at that, this first census was no
easy task The population of 4,O0O,O 900
occupied a territory of $4,000 square
miles, or As persons to each square
mile. Cities were few and small IN
size, there being at the time only SIX
communities with as many as 5000
ol~ska a
cities represented only 3 per cent OF
the total population of the country.
In taking the census of 1880 the
Government adhered closely to the con-
stitutional requirement that IAN ACTUAL
enumeration should be made" and that
was all that was made. Only the name
of the head of each family was recorded,
with the number of persons IN eacn
family. These latter were classlned as
free or slave. white or other sex, ana
those over Is years were separated from
those under that age.
The Census Bureau estimates that
the population in this country increases
/ 400, 900 persons annually. or an m
crease of one person every % SECONDS.
That estimate is based on an excess OF
births over deaths, which adds IL 900,
and an excess of immigration over emf
grafton, which means an additional
100000 persons each year.
On the basis of such an estimate. the
bureau placed the population on July l..
1927. at 120.7lO,620. BY July next,
If these estimates are correct, the popu-
lation should be in the neighborhood
of 1923. 100000 persons, or more than
80 times as great as in 1890 and almost
twice as large as In 1890.
Force OF 100000.
How will the Federal Government
count this huge number of inhabitants?
In the first place, approximately loO:ooo
commemorative official door-to door
canvasser of the census-will be APP
pointed. To them will go the task OF