Evening star., 1934-03-08
SPECIAL CENSUS
SOUGHT IN HOUSE
Roosevelt Said to Back
Move to Study Employ.
ment and Trends.

A special national census of popula-
ton. occupations and unemployment
to be taken at a cost of approximately
S1O,OOO,O00 is asked in a bill to be
offered IN Congress soon by Repre-
sentative Ralph Lozier, Democrat Of
Missouri, chairman of the House
Census Committee. The proposal is
understood to have the backing OF
President Roosevelt.
The census would be the first In
the history Of the country to be taken
between regular decennial periods.
The first census was taken in 1890
and all the regular tabulations have
been made at 10-year intervals from
that date.
Representative Lozier is awaiting
final word from the Budget Bureau
and William L. Austin, director of the
census, before writing the details of
the measure. 1t has been determined,
however, that shifts in population,
particularly from urban to rural areas,
have made the enumeration impera-
tive, and if present plans materialize,
the special census would get under
way November - or IA.
Would Combine Tasks.
Congress already has authorized the
1885 census of Agriculture to begin
1885 census of agriculture to begin
said, however. the new bill would
amend that act to move the date for
ward to November. so the census of
agriculture and population count can
be made at one time. The new bill
probably will be offered next week.
The entire project is expected to
be completed before Midwinter. Lozier
explained, with all the field work
finished by the end of December A
force of approximately 10000 men
and women would be employed and
while the census is not proposed as
a relief project. it was pointed out all
the employees will be taken from the
white collar" class and will be given
jobs ranging from 80 to As days.
A large number of these will be
employed in Washington, just as a
huge force was required here to handle
the 1880 census, but because a more
limited list of facts will be collect
ed, the special census office stall
probably will be several hundred less
than the 1880 staff. The number to
be employed here will not be deter
mined until about the time the field
work gets under way.
The 1880 census has been found to
be very inaccurate. LoZier explained,
because since it was taken the trend
of migration within the country has
been away from the cities and into
the rural areas. Heretofore the trend
has been just the reverse, with rural
territory losing population, which was
gained by industrial centers.
lone of the results of this great
shift in population" Lozier said, has
been to make the ALLEGATION of funds
by the Federal Emergency Relief Ad-
miniStration and the Civil Works Ad-
ministration extremely difficult. I un-
derstand Mr. Hopkins relief admin
istrator), using 1880 population fig
ures, found his allotments were too
large in some areas and too small in
others. $3.50
These are extraordinary times, and
in many ways we are blazing new
trails. Consequently, it behooves us
to throw as much light on our prob
lens as we can This new census is
one of the things We absolutely need
in mapping out our course of action"
Representative Lozier said he was
not authorized to speak either for
the Bureau of the Budget or the
White House, but he understands that
only the details of the census sched-
ules need to be worked out before his
committee can get to work on the
legislation.