Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-21
CENSUS AID URGED
IN FORUM ADDRESS
lamont Describes Values Of
Most Comprehensive
U. S. Survey.

An appeal to the people to cooperate
houghtfully In the taking Of the NJ
zenith decennial census was broadcast
yer the radio last evening by Robert
Patterson Lamont, the Secretary OF
Commerce, who gave an illuminating
description Of this most comprehensive
departmental efforts.
Secretary Lamont spoke in the Ma
lona1 Radio Forum, arranged by The
svening Star and sponsored by the
columbia Broadcasting System. His
ddress was broadcast locally from Sta
ion WMAL over q Nationwide net
PORK of stations.
Asserting that success of the census
depends In the last analysis on the
people, Mr.. Lamont said, "In all the
heldS covered by this great national
took taking - population, agriculture
mining and manufactures, and distri-
bution-the census schedules for 1880
re better than ever before.
I'm all these fields the Department
bf Commerce is planning to analyze the
results in a more useful manner than
yer before" he said. But the success
bf this undertaking depends not alone
bn the Department of Commerce, nor
bn the committees which have come to
its aid; it depends primarily on the
breat masses of the people themselves.
Without their loyal cooperation it is
apossible to obtain. correct returns or
sbtain them promptly"
Employees Sworn TO Secrecy.
Secretary Lamont urged his hearers
not to think that the Government is
'prying into the affairs of individuals
put of any idle curiosity"
1T is not interested In the individual
nWsva ~ hNvcf ran aC
person, the family, the farm, the fac
tory, the store, becomes simply factor
bin making up averages and totals for
*groups, classes and communities. The
original records are accessible only to
the employees of the Bureau of the Gen.
sus, sworn not to disclose them to any
person outside Of that bureau. No one
need fear that his report on the census
can in any way be used to his injury.
do not hesitate or hold back-do
not be apprehensive, Secretary lamont
urged. I'VE appeal to you to respond
unanimously-with zeal, vigor, pre-
Ito this great collective effort to adj
vance the common good. BY doing so
you win be proving your devotion to
what President Hoover has called the
patriotism Of peace"
Text Of Address.
Secretary Lamont's address follows,
In full text:
Are figures dry and dull? Are they
something to be summed as merely
Troublesome or sleep-inducing? think
not. FigureS-when we take the pains
TO probe into their inner meaning-are
often intensely interesting, enormously
Important. More and more, their value
"a being realized throughout the United
States today.
May give you one example? A few
weeks ago the Department of Commerce
published 5000 copies of what might
look, to the average person, like the
most uninteresting book imaginable. 1t
contained SIS pages of solid figures
Utmost endless columns and columns Of
hgures-and only Is pages Of text. The
book sold for $3.50 copy. 1t bore the
prosaic title Market Data Handbook
bf the United States" It simply gave
Detailed statistics about the factors that
knect markets in every one Of the more
han 5000 counties of the United States.
THAT must be the acme Of dizziness,
ou may say-"something merely to
ccumulate dust on the public printers
helves." You may be surprised to learn
hat the exact opposite Is true. That
COX has been selling like the proverbial
hot cakes" Business men have pur-
hased It eagerly. And they Rave done
bit Of cheering. They have plunged
nto that apparent wilderness Of figures
5 gleefully as they would into lapid
iece Of fiction. Because there is a
tory there-a story that means larger
business, better methods, less wasted
hort, pnore satisfactory returns in every
Third Edition Due Soon.
$50 that first edition of the Market
ata Handbook was swept from the
nelves almost ain the twinkling of an
ye." A second edition was rushed
1rough-and that, too, Is exhausted.
re are going to press now with stu a
bird 5000. That array Of figures Is
rowing a best seller"
And the authorities of Harvard Uni
erSity thought so highly Of the book
hat, just the other day, they awarded
he principal creator of the work the
oveted Box prize for the most valuable
iece of research advancing the science
4 advertising. They did this even
hough the book had not been submit
ed in their competition.
Thus we see that figures can be
extremely vital. Facts are mighty tools.
Don We are to embark on the Nations
reatest job of collecting the
Rking Of the census.
The business of a government Is to
atisfy the needs of its people-to pro-
note their interests and heighten their
yell being. What could provide better
foundation for such effort than an
accurate knowledge of how many people
3he country has-where they live and,
p measure, how they hve2 Facts
IKE those are basic. From them, in
he light Of truth, we may proceed TO
york for steady betterment here In the
United States.
This taking of the decenniaI census
ranks close to the front among the
major tasks that our Government Il
ackling this year. The census army
modifying, and it is a vast army.
advance scouts are already active in
collecting statistics of manufacturers
md distribution. The main army
which has to do with the censuSes of
population and of agriculture will begin
Is march on April 2. It's high COM
nand, officers of the Department OF
Commerce, have been planning the
campaign for the past two years. The
brigadier generals, consisting of the STA
supervisors throughout the country
ready selected their lieutenants and
practically all of their privates, the
Enumerators. of whom more than 1OO,-
poo are required for this gigantic
expedition.
Census Takers Are Peaceful Army.
To liken the census staff to an army
2is appropriate in every way except one
and that is fundamental. The purpose
OF this great body of men and women is
not conflict. 1t is constructive service
in the interest Of every individual citi-
zen in the interest of agriculture and
of business, IN the interest of cur DO.
Iltical and social life. The census army
marches against no enemy: it marches
among friends.
The original purpose of the census
rs provided for in the Constitution oi