Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1930-04-11
NEWS REVIEW OF
CURRENT EVENTS
Taking of Fifteenth Decen-
NAL Census Under Way
With New Features.
BY EDWARD W. plckARD

~ and nieces and finding out lot
about their prosperity or lack of it.
In other words, the fifteenth decen-
NAL census is being taken. This big
Job will be finished in the cities with
in two weeks of the start, and in the
rural districts within one month.
Besides population, this census in
cludes unemployment, agriculture, ir-
rigation, drainage, manufactures, min
ing, and distribution. The distribution
census, which is new feature, will be
made up of statistics of goods sold by
wholesale and retail merchants and
dealers and of the number of persons
employed in trade. Unemployment,
considered as a separate subject OF
inquiry, also is new, although some of
the previous censuses have included
single question asking the number,
Of months in which persons have been
unemployed during the year.
For the first time each family is
asked whether it owns or rents its
home, the value of the home or how
much rent is paid. Another new ques-
ton concerns the age of each indi-
vidual at first marriage, and third
question, SIS there a radio set in your
homer" Answers to these questions
are expected to furnish valuable new
information never before compiled In
the United States.
1t will be interesting to compare
the results Of the count with the fig
ures given by the census clock, an
ingenious piece of mechanism in the
office Of the director Of the census in
Washington. At one minute after
midnight on April l. when the census
started officially. this clock gave the
population Of the United States as
122, 1S6,S93.
The enumerators actually began
their work on April ., and at one
o'clock that afternoon President
Hoover met J. Sterling Moran. super
visor for the District Of Columbia.
outside. the White House and handed
him filled out family schedule.
Everything in it was confidential, as
is the case with the replies Of every
other person In the country.
Missouri, New Jersey and Idaho con,
tested for the honor of having COM
pleted the first district in the census.
Centertown, Cole county. Mo-, which
takes its name from the fact that it
is the exact geographical center Of
the state, telegraphed its claim to be-
ing the first town to complete the
task, to census headquarters. Con-
testing that honor was Kootenai coun-
ty, Idaho, which reported the enumer-
alton there completed at $50 a. m.
Morris township, Morris county, N. j.,
finished early in the afternoon.
THROUGH wet and dry figures are
j. not included in the census, those
supplied by the Literary Digest's ma
tional straw vote are being given out
daily and are apparently significant
enough to give the supporters of pro-
hibition in its present form consid-
cradle concern. Dry leaders protest
that this poll is unfair, and Senators
JOHcS anu LIN VI w uSHiiiStoH as
serted in the senate that the ballots
were sent mostly to men. Mr.. Dill
asked the Digest editor whether wom-
en- were being Disseminated against
and was told that the ballots were
sent to the same persons who got
them in Presidential election poll
in 1928.
Because of the consideration of the
tariff bill on the floor of the house
of representatives, the judiciary COM
mittee's hearings on the Eighteenth
amendment were suddenly halted. DR..
It. Scott Mcbride, superintendent of
the Anti-Saloon league, and four other
dry leaders were permitted to insert
their statements in the record but the
vets, much to their disgust. had no
opportunity to cross examine them.
The keynote of all the statements
was sounded by Doctor Mcbride in
this sentence: prohibition at its
worst, even in the worst cities and in
the worst places within these cities.
is better than the old-time licensed
liquor traffic at its best"
Doctor Mcbride declared that the