THE CABINET: Stock-taking

At Allentown, Pa., Erma Schank jumped out of a window, killed herself because she knew a man would call to ask her questions about something she had lied about 20 years ago.

In Manhattan a man called on Sam Bianco, found him overcome by gas, revived him, asked him questions.

In Philadelphia a man called on a Chinese laundryman, asked questions, was handed a shirt and two collars.

In Chicago three men called on Mrs. Lottie Brenner von Buelow, asked no questions, robbed her of $50,000 worth of jewelry.

In The Bronx, N. Y., when a man called on a woman to ask questions about her husband she retorted: “I haven’t spoken to the big bum for 32 years and I’m damned if I’ll speak to him now for your benefit!”

These episodes, and millions of episodes like them, occurred last week throughout the land as 120,000 enumerators began to take the 15th U. S. Census. Though President Hoover had issued a proclamation in 23 languages calling on all good citizens to make ready for the census enumerators, though government and welfare groups had publicized the count among the foreign-born, though appeal after appeal for cooperation had been made over the radio, great sectors of the U. S. were still ignorant of the purpose of the census, suspicious of its enumerators, reluctant to answer questions. And in city and country were countless persons quite unaware that any Census operations were going on.

To set a good example of coöperation President Hoover met J. Sterling Moran, census supervisor for the District of Columbia, on the back steps of the White House where the following scene occurred:

Mr. Moran: “Sir, I am the Federal Census taker and have come to enumerate the occupants of this house.”

President Hoover: “Very good. I have secured a family schedule which has been filled out in advance and is ready for you. Here it is”—handing Mr. Moran a folded paper—”It is well that the American people know that the census is confidential. There is no special reason for secrecy here, however. I hope you will have everywhere the assistance you deserve. The census is the great stock-taking of American progress.”

The press was then given a peek at the President’s census return. He called himself Herbert Hoover, omitting Clark. He said he “occupied” the White House, neither owning nor renting it. He gave his occupation as “engineer.”

Directly responsible for the 1930 count is William Mott Steuart, Director of the Census in the Department of Commerce. Texas-born 69 years ago, Mr. Steuart helped take the 1880 census of manufactures, has served almost continuously ever since with this statistical bureau. In 1920 he was an assistant director. This is his first census as No. 1 man. He does not expect to take the one in 1940.

Each census enumerator is identified by credentials in the form of an official U. S. document headed “Certificate of Appointment as Enumerator, and of Authority Thereunder.” It contains the enumerator’s name and district, is signed by the local census supervisor and carries a district number to coincide with the bearer’s enumeration book.

In that book the enumerator records answers to 24 questions about each person counted: Name. Address. Relationship to head of family? Is home owned or rented? Value of home, if owned, or monthly rental? Own a radio set? Does this family live on a farm? Sex? Color or race? Marital condition? Age at first marriage? Attended school or college any time since Sept. 1, 1929? Able to read or write? Place of birth? Places of parents’ birth? Mother tongue? Year of immigration to the U. S.? Naturalized? Able to speak English? Occupation? Industry in which employed? Employer, employe, or working on own account? Actually at work? War veteran?

Special questions are asked the jobless. Husbandmen are interrogated as to their acreage, crops, live stock, improvements, hired help et al.

Census enumerators in urban districts are paid 4¢ per name counted. In rural districts they receive 40¢ per farm, 8¢ per name. Four enumerators appointed to take the count in Greeley County, Kan. went on strike last week for higher pay.

Enumerators who divulge information obtained in their count are liable to a $1,000 fine or two years in jail. Refusal to answer their questions is punishable by a $100 fine or 60 days in jail. For untrue answers the punishment is $500 fine, one year in jail.

Despite the President’s proclamation and Director Steuart’s radio pleadings, enumerators encountered difficulty in taking their count in the foreign quarter of big cities. Again and again policemen had to be summoned to assist and protect enumerators. A widespread fear that the U. S. planned some sort of tax on radio sets caused many ignorant people to falsify as to their possession of such instruments. Everywhere women were reported touchy, reticent, about telling how old they were.

In Northampton, Mass, the first person counted was Citizen Calvin Coolidge. In New York City special enumerators called on John Richard Voorhis, 100, Grand Sachem of Tammany Hall and president of the Board of Elections, to record him for the eleventh time in a U. S. census. At Sing Sing Prison 2,178 convicts were enumerated as “wards” of Warden Lewis Edward Lawes, were listed as employed because they make 1½¢ per day. First town to complete its census count: Centertown, Mo.

When the count is completed next week, enumerations will be sent to Washington where they will be transferred to cards, punched and cut into strange shapes. These cards will then be fed into intricate computing machines which almost instantly total the answers to all the census questions.

In Director Steuart’s office is a clocklike device which registers the growth of U. S. population as computed by statisticians. Every 23 seconds a white flash from the clock indicates a net increase of one.* At 12:01 on the morning census-taking began this census clock registered 122,186,893. When the total U. S. population by count is announced about July 1, Director Steuart will check it against the population by estimation, adjust his clock if necessary.

Three branches of the U. S. Government await the census results with peculiar interest: 1) The Department of Labor to know the real number of unemployed; 2) the Federal Radio Commission to know the real number of receiving sets in the land; 3) the House of Representatives to know the basis on which each State, under automatic reapportionment, will be given popular representation after 1932.

*Census estimates: a birth every 13 seconds; a death every 23 seconds; an immigrant’s arrival every 90 seconds; an emigrant’s departure every 330 seconds.