Evening star., 1937-10-03
.jOB[ESS QUERIES
GUARDED BY STAFF
Silence to Be Broken Tues
day-Striking Because of
Expected Ba|Iyhoo.
BY BLAIR BOLLES,

end is the text of the IA questions
which Americas jobless will be asked
to answer next month to enable the
Federal Government to count them.
The questions will be disclosed
Tuesday, but until then workers or
the staff Of John D. Biggers, chief
OF the unemployment census, are
keeping silent on this and all other
| queries concerning the enumeration
The silence is all the more strik-
ing because Of the expected ballyhoo
The Biggers staff occupies three
rooms in an obscure sixth-floor hall
way OF the Commerce Building. Big
gers has room, his three stenogra-
| piers have room and the ballyhoo
artists, headed by Frank R. Wilson,
a Duchess County, N. Y, farm
neighbor Of President Roosevelt
who publicized the third, fourth and
NTH Liberty Loan drives, have q
room. If Wilson thinks it is needed
partition will be put up to divide
his room in half and give the census
chiefs four rooms.
Biggers is out of town, and Will
son for the present will say nothing
about the storm of publicity that is
brewing.
31,000,000 Households.
When Biggers reads the IA ques-
tions to reporters, the big educa-
tional putsch will be on, aimed at
convincing every jobless person in
the United States, Alaska and Hawaii
he or she should answer without fail
They will be delivered by postmen
November 16 and II to $1,000. .O0O
households
At the time he discloses the Ques-
tions, Biggers will make public an
explanatory statement prepared by
the Census Committee to show the
| significance of the questions and give
examples of model answers. The
census planners fear that no matter
how carefully they phrase the ques-
tions, they may run the risk of mis-
Interpretation by the answerers.
The chief authors Of the IA ques-
tions are DR.. Stuart Rice of the Gen.
/ Va a. obubAotitol oOitau, anu Al. Adl-
vert L. Dedrick, assistant chief statis-
tician OF the division of statistical re-
search of the Census Bureau
Secretary Roper. Secretary Perkins
Chairman Altmeyer of the Social Sc
curity Board, Administrator Hopkins
OF the w. P. A., and Director Austin OF
| the Census Bureau-the members OF
the committee established by the act
authorizing the census-are all organ
| lied to keep the secret until Biggers
let's it out. AS final guard against
leaks, DR.. Rice keeps with him all
extant copies of the questions
When the questions are made pub
lie. the business of arousing every per-
son in the country to vigorous sup
port of the census will get under way
Large-size Post Cards.
The Government Printing Office
will begin to print the 65,000,000 large
size post cards bearing the questions
The Post Office Department will
mobilize its men for delivery of the
cards.
The Census Bureau will add to its
| staff the workers needed to tabuIate
the answers to the IA questions on
millions of post cards between No
vember 20, when the unemployed re-
cipients Of the cards are asked to re-
turn them, and March /, when the
final number of iobless is to be dis
closed.
Biggers and Wilson will marshal a
volunteer army to whip up enthusiasm
for the census, its meaning and its
Importance, in every hamlet, village
and town. Churches. schools, clubs
will be urged to enlist in the drive
The radio, rostrum, and press will bt
utilized.
The Unemployment Census Office
plans to create volunteer local organ
izations to keep up public spirit ane
to cooperate with postmasters in pro.
viding information, in seeing that the
blanks are answered honestly anc
without duplication. in furnishing in.
terpretive service to foreign-bor
question and in filling out
the blanks for illiterates.
Basis Of Appeal.
Biggers will base this appeal TO
voluntary support on the theory ac
curate knowledge Of the number o
jobless is everybody's business and IL
everybody's self-interest. For he feel
that such information is a REQUESTS
for initiating a program of re-employ
ment as we'll as that all producers neet
a true appraisal of the nom -productiv
elements in society.
During the six weeks after Novem
Der 20 a regular population censu
such as is customary every 10 year
will be conducted in typical localitie
about the country in sufficient mum
Der to compare the results with tn
voluntary blank-form census.
This count, the purpose of which
is to check the degree of variation
from the true In the questionnair,
census. will be made through a door.
| to-door canvass by w. p. A. ans
Census Bureau workers.
The publicity drive will require
according to present plans, man t.
acquaint newspapers and press as
sociations Of developments, a radio
publicist, an expert on labor publicity
a man acquainted with foreign
language press agentry, an educationa
publicist and an agent to deal with
farm organizations and publications.
Biggers will talk Thursday on tn,
census at Press Club luncheon, ane
on October Is he will give an hour.
outline of the aims of the census in 6
talk on the National Radio Forum
of The Star.
COTTON REL EhnERC