Evening star., 1940-03-03
70 the Editor OF The Star:


The article by Frederic William
Vile on the 1910 census, published
In your issue of February %, reflects
unjustly on the schedules of the
1910 census, by assuming as true
many of the Misrepresentation that
have been given wide circulation.
These representations have to do
with the content and the purpose of
the so-called income" questions and
the erroneous implication that the
questions on home mortgages are
new, whereas the congressional act
requiring the collection of informa-
tion on home mortgages was passed
by Congress prior to the census of
1890 and signed by President Ben
5amin Harrison.
Questions 80 and 33 in this years
population schedule call for a report
of the amount of money wages or
salary received dncluding commits
sions) during 1899 and call for a
'yes or no" response to an inquiry
rs to whether or not there was in
come of $50 or more from sources
other than money wages or salary.
Instructions which went to EMU
merators early in January direct
enumerators, in obtaining answers
to this question, as follows:
For amounts above $1,000 enter
$4,000 plus This means that you
are not to report the actual amount
of money wages and salary for per-
sons who have received more than
S5,00O." It does not ask for income
from business or profession, interest,
dividends, rent, or any other non
wage source.
Retention or elimination of these
questions must be judged upon these
factors: The usefulness of the in
formation sought; the interests to
be served by obtaining such infor-
nation; the determination of
whether such inquiries are germane
to the subjects of population and
unemployment; whether the asking
OF them invades the privacy of the
people, and whether their use is in
line with legislative precedent and
past census practice.
The construction of this question
indicates its intent. It is designed
to measure the purchasing power
for consumers goods, nationally re-
gionally and locally. For many
years business has sought this in
formation.
Business Leaders Gave
Advice on Questions.
More than year ago Secretary
Hopkins called a conference of rep
resentatives of business and econo-
mists to examine proposed census
inquiries. Delegates included DR..
Louis Dublin of the Metropolitan
Life Insurance Co., DR.. David r.
Craig, president of the American
Retail Federation: Mr.. Noel Sar-
gent, secretary of the National As
sociation of Manufacturers: Gen.
Robert E. Wood, chairman of Sears,
Roebuck & Co.; Sidney R. Katz of
the c. I. O.: Miss Margaret Scatter
good of the A. F. of L. and DR..
Stacey May of the Rockefeller
Foundation.
The Census Bureau has received
letters and resolutions calling for
more statistics on earnings of the
American people from the American
Home Economics Association, the
National Industrial Conference
Board, the Actuarial Society of
America, the Population Association
of America, also ministers and
church councils, Y. M. c. AS, insur-
ance companies, automobile manu-
facturers, public utilities. labor
unions. advertising agencies and
market analysts, publishers of mag
azines and newspapers and publish
ers of farm papers. The National
Bureau of Economic Research spon-
sored a conference made up of di-
rectors from such groups as the
American Engineering Council. the
American Management Association,
the National Publishers Associa-
ton and the American Federation Of
Labor. This conference went on
record as strongly in favor of in
cluding questions on income.
In addition to this demand from
business, the income question was
approved unanimously by the Gen.
sus Bureau Advisory Committee,
which, as you know, is made up of
men outside the Government, in
cluding DR.. Robert E. Chaddock of
Columbia University, DR.. j. Freder-
lex Dewhurst of the Twentieth Gen.
tury Fund, Paul T. Cherington,
market analyst; DR.. William P. Og-
burn of the University of Chicago,
DR.. Murray R. Benedict of the Uni
versity of California and Dr. Will
liam r. Thorp of Dun & Brad
street.
Much Misrepresentation
About Income Inquiries.
There has been much misrepre-
sentation concerning these income
inquiries as to alleged violation of
privacy, legal precedent and census
practice. The fact is that the CEN
sus of agriculture has included
questions on income from the sale
and use of products for great
many years. Such information is
absolutely vital in farm schedule
and has been basic in the study OF
the farm problem.
The chief economic problem IN
America today is unemployment,
and adequate facts upon which to
base possible solutions of this prob
lem are not available. For that rea-
son the population schedule of the
1910 census devotes particular atten-
ton to getting additional material
that will measure, not only unem-
ployment but employment and the
potential working force of the Ma
ton. In addition to facts regarding
gainful workers, as obtained in previ-
Gus censuses, the census this year
will measure new workers, potential
workers and the "in and out" work.
ers. It calls for the number of weeks
worked during 1899 as well as the
number Of hours worked during the
week prior to the taking of the
census.