The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1930-02-07
ARMY OF HUNDRED THOUSAND
BEGIN CENSUS JOB APRIL lst
RADIO ADDRESS OF HON.
p. LAMONT, SECRETARY
OF COMMERCE

wOmen Will go into action at Tn
call Of their government.
1t will be an army of peac'
and public service. 1t will march
not in file and company, but a
individuals, in the stupendou'
task of decennial stock-taking
knownas the National census.
In scope, organization, equipment
and responsibility, this will be the
greatest undertaking of it's kline
ever launched in this or any
other country.
This important enterprise will
be conducted by the bureau OF
the census, department of com.
merce. In one month the enumer-
ators must complete their part OF
the work and accumulate a vast
amount of data regarding social
and economic conditions through
out our far-flung area. In one
month these men and women
must gather this information from
every city and hamlet, six mill
ion farms, $4,000 mines and quar-
ries, 100000 irrigation and drain
age projects, and from nearly
100000 factories, more than two
million stores, and nearly thirty
million households.
The work of the census has ex-
panded immensely with the social
and industrial growth of the ma
ton. Our inventory must now in
c1ude 4S states, the District of
Columbia, Alaska, Hawaii, Porto
Rico, Guam, Samoa, Virgin Is
lands, and the Panama Canal
Zone.
King David, some 5000 years
ago, conducted the first authentic
census He numbered the people
of Israel and Judah, For nine
months and twenty days his
agents worked and reported l.
300,0 900 valiant men" of the
sword.
Now we face the problem, not
of counting men of the sword,
but of securing comprehensive in
formation regarding 100, 600, 900
of II fellow Americans. It will
be necessary to ask nearly 10000
questions regarding individuals,
farms and manufacturing and
commercial enterprises. At the be-
ginning of April next, there must
be in the hands of the enumerat-
ors at least 40 million printed
copies of various schedules of in
quiries.
The decennial census is man
datory under the constitution The
first was taken in 1890. But the
originators of that mandate prob
ably never dreamed either of the
rapid increase in our national
population, or of the complex de-
velopment of our national life.
Today the welfare of our peo-
pie rests upon business-upon our
farms, our factories and counting
houses, and our homes. Statistics
may be dull in certain aspects,
but statistics must be reliably
gathered and intelligently COM
piled if the progress of the nation
is to be wisely charted.
The attitude of all classes to-
ward major questions of public
policy is largely based upon sta
tistical information. The business
men themselves want the facts
most.
AS our economic life grows
more and more complicated, it be-
comes necessary to it in
one dimension after another. We
now face the dimension of distri-
button as a corollary to the more
familiar problems of production.
To the enumeration of popula-
ton, farms and factories, there
will be added an enumeration OF
the outlets through which the
products of industry must move
into consumption. Comprehensive
schedules have been draWn up 10
secure from every store or whole
sale dealer such pertinent facts
as sales, inventory, number OF
engaged, salaries, rent
and other expense items. The
creaklng, straining and occasional
breaking down in the distributing
machinery, concern us all. These
.pressures in the distributing sys-
tenn with the flow here and back
wash there, have engineering par
allels, in the fall Of stream, chan
mel friction, the flood and the
low water. At this census we are
entering for the first time into
this immensely important field
distribution.
The census of manufacture has
become a familiar national insti-
1t is taken every two
Toward it the manufacture
ers and the people have shown a
commendable attitude of apprecia-
ton and helpfulness.
The census taking should not
be considered either coercive or
meddlesome interference in pri
affairs. 1t is performing ?
function necessary and beneficial
to US all, collectively and indi-
vidually. No one need hesitate to