Evening star., 1947-09-02
15hations Meet
ToP|an Census
0fHennisphere
n Countries to Join
In 1850 TobuIution
Of Resources

Leu Dy SIdUlStlcal experts from 10
of the % nations of the Western
Hemisphere, a committee Of the
1nter-American Statistical Institute
this morning tackled the weighty
problem of planning a 1850 census
OF the Americas.
Opening six-day conference at
the Wardman Park Hotel, 65 dele
gates and observers started work on
a set of uniform standards to be
used by each nation in making the
first co-ordinated tabulation of hu-
man and economic resources in
America.
All of those attending are chief
census statisticians of the various
countries and their aides, who will
be in charge of making the actual
count in the nations represented.
Representatives of the remaining
countries are expected in the next
few days.
Many Have Taken No Census.
Many American nations have never
taken a census. Others have taken
them at varying intervals while us
ing different methods for enumer-
ating results. For example, status
of a divorced person differs In many
nations.
THUS it can be seen," said Newton
B. Knox, of the Bureau of Census
here, an aide at the conference,
why 1t is important to set up uni
form standards so that results OF
the census in all nations will be
comparable"
Outstanding figure at the session
is Senator Area Parro of Peru, hon.
orary chairman. Senator Parro, 46,
is chairman Of the United Nations
Committee on Population. An ex-
pert on population statistics, he is a
former director of statistics of Peru
and is the Peruvian delegates to the
U. N. Social and Economic Council.
DIR. Dedrick Presides.
DR.. Calvert Dedrick of Washing
ton, co-erdinator of international
statistics for the Bureau of the
Census. is presiding over. the ses-
sions, which will continue with
technical discussions through this
week.
Delegates were welcomed by DR..
Halbert Dunn of Washington, sec
retary general of the Inter-Amer-
ican Statistical Institute. Countries
already represented are Argentina,
Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia,
Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guat-
amala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Para
qua, Peru, United States, Uruguay
and Venezuela.
The sessions will precede the S.
nation International Statistical Con-
ferences beginning Saturday.
Taking the lead is the United
States Census Bureau, with its
knowledge of statistics gathering
gained since the 1880 census. In
conjunction with the State Depart
ment's American republics program,
the bureau will arrange for an inter-
change of technicians and know
ledge with other nations.
Task Will Be Great.
Surveying an area from Alaska
to Cape Horn will require visits
to great cities. isolated mining
camps. Indian villages in the Am
AEON River valley and the sparsely
settled tundra encampments of the
Far Northern Eskimos. Many points
will be accessible only by horseback
or by foot.
The census is expected to measure
the Western Hemisphere cultural
groups, literacy and educational
level, living standards and health,
agricultural resources, housing, trade
and financial operations, and di-
vision of labor by occupations.
The committee must reach agree.
ment on what basic questions will be
asked, to satisfy all nations for their
own use as we'll as meet standards
for the International census.
Several specialized agencies of the
United Nations will have observers
at the meetings.