Evening star., 1938-08-27
BILL TO LAUNCH
194OCENSUS WORK
House Committee Chairman
to Seek Quick Passage
for Gigantic Task.
BY WILL P. KENNEDY.

Representative Brooks Fletcher Of
Ohio, chairman of the House Census
Committee, plans to introduce bill
at the next session Of Congress au-
thorizing the Census Bureau to start
the gigantic task of taking the 1910
decennial census
This measure was expected to be
passed in the closing days of the last
Congress. but the Commerce Depart
ment and the Bureau Of the Census
then were undertaking extensive
studies of economic changes in in
dustry, labor. business and agriculture.
These Investigations are vital to
the census legislation. Representative
Fletcher explained. so the committee
felt that the census bill should lie
over until the next session. when the
committee would have the benefit of
the studies in progress.
Preparations are under way, how
ever, for a comprehensive inventory
of population, resources and economic
activity throughout the United States.
1t will also cover the population OF
Alaska. Puerto Rico, Hawaii and all
other possessions.
Largest Statistical Organization.
The Federal Government has about
90 different agencies which collect or
compile statistics. Mr.. Fletcher pointed
out, but the Census Bureau is the
record keeper of the Nation, the
largest and Oldest of those gathering
statistics Its functions have been
performed since 1890, although it was
not made a permanent bureau until
1912. For nearly $50 years. he en-
phasized, it has been gathering and
tabulating facts about the social and
industrial life of the United States,
and is now the largest statistical or
ganization in the world.
Chairman Fletcher expects a new
machine. invented by Government
workers in the Census Bureau. to save
at least a million dollars in the cost
of taking the 1910 census. Already
tllC lWO UCSG hllOWll VI lllC SlCut Sohi-
mercial tabulating machines were in
vented by Census Bureau employees.
Passage of this bill early in the
coming session is imperative, Mr..
Fletcher explained. because the per-
manent staff of the bureau is merely
the nucleus for a great emergency
organization which has to be recruited
every years to take the census of
agriculture and every 10 years to
take the decennial census of popula-
ton, and to cover the other fields of
industrial and business activities which
are studied along with the population
census.
Security Increases Work.
Illustrative of the value of the
storehouse of essential information
which the Census Bureau maintains,
Chairman Fletcher called attention to
its service in the social security pro-
gram. During the last year approx
mately $4,000 applications for age
certification and other personal in
formation Of this character were re-
ceived by the bureau. Some 400 to
600 letters day are being received
relating to this type Of material alone.
During the next three years more
than 2,250,O00 persons will pass their
65th birthday anniversary. The ma
jority of these elderly people will be
without positive proof of age for pen
sion purposes, except such as is avail
able in old census records, which are
the most accessible and authentic
records available for this proof of age.
Showing how the decennial census
work has grown in volume, but is
handled with the utmost dispatch, Mr..
Fletcher said census enumerators in
1890 took 18 months to visit and count
the 3,929,2l4 persons comprising the
population of this new Nation, al
though in 1880 the enumeration of
122,775,O46 persons was practically
completed in one month. The present
population is estimated at 129.257 ,000
Embraces Many Activities.
In addition to population data, the
census work includes collection and
compilation along other and varied
lines:
% Public indebtedness, taxation,
valuation and expenditures-a decen-
NAL census covering the financial
transactions of State, county, city and
local governments
~ Annual compilation covering the
debt, revenues and expenditures of
States and cities Of more than 100, 600
population.
(3) Census every fifth year Of elec-
trical industries.
% Quinquennial census Of agri-
culture.
90 Biennial census of manufac-
lures, showing quantity and value
of products, number of salaried en-
ployes and wage earners, total salaries
and wages, cost of material and fuel
etc.N
(6) Decennial census of religious
bodies.
% Decennial census Of defective
dependents and delinquent classes
the inquiry covering prisons, hospitals
for the insane, Juvenile delinquents
feeble minded and epileptics In insti-
tutions.
tB Biennial compilation of judicial
criminal statistics
ts) Constant collection of births and
deaths statistics.
10) Census of business
uD Monthly and quarterly reports
on cotton statistics
l2) Monthly and quarterly reports
on current industrial statistics.
Republicans