Show CENSUS STARTED AMONG FACTORIES Eighteen m Hundred Special Agents Collecting 1909 Statistics YEAR WILL WIL BE COVERED BUSINESS FIGURES WILL BE RE REGARDED REGARDED REGARDED AS CONFIDENTIAL Washington on D C Feb B The United States census bureau has begun beUn to take the federal census of manufactures mines mine quarries petroleum and natural gas for the year ear 1009 1909 which comprises s two of the principal inquiries embraced In the thirteenth decennial census the others be being beIng being ing population and agriculture The canvass Is being made under the supervision of ot William Villiam M 31 Steuart chief statistician for manufactures and about 1800 1500 special agents will be employed eventually In the work and they are from day to day being appointed by Di Director Director Director rector Durand from the eligible registers established as a result of the November 3 examination of ot candidates for these po positions positions positions Director Durand has taken extraordinary extraordinary extraordinary nary precautions to assure the manufacturers manufacturers manufacturers that all answers will be held ab absolutely absolutely absolutely confidential This statement is conspicuously displayed on the front pages of the various schedules and It is also emphatically declared that no pub publication publication publication will be made in the census re reports rep reports ports p disclosing the name or operations of individual establishments in any par particular particular particular The act of Congress provides that the bureau of the census shall not permit any an other than Its sworn em to examine the individual reports report It provides also that any who shall without the tha authority of the di director director director rector of the census publish or com communicate communicate communicate any Information coming into his possession shall be guilty of a n I meanor and upon conviction shall be I fined not to exceed 1000 or be imprisoned Imprisoned imprisoned not to exceed two years or both in inthe inthe inthe I the discretion of the court Must Work Fast There Thero is but a limited time in which to complete this work said Director Durand today It is essential that all the field exert themselves to the utmost Those who do good work will be reassigned to other districts and retained in the service until the work is finished If manufacturers or others furnishing data object to a supposed disclosure of the secrets of their business the tho special agents will assure them that the results of their individual business will not be made public They are required also to explain that the information will not be used for the purposes of taxation nor in any manner to Identify the operations of the individual establishments and will not be disclosed to any other bureau of the federal government The intent of the law which will be carried out Is to prevent the disclosure of ot Information which might operate to the detriment in any way of the person or establishment supplying it To Cover Past Year The uThe period covered will be wherever possible that of the year rear ending Decem December December December ber 31 1909 In the majority of cases the data can be secured for It as the business year ear of most establishments will wiIl correspond to the calendar year 1900 For establishments beginning operations for the first time during t f P vear year it will not be possible to make W th aport cover over more than the tine period actually embraced A manufacturing establishment which is the unit of enumeration for or the census is deemed to be one or more factories mills or plants owned or controlled by byone byone byone one individual partnership corporation or other owner located In the same town or city and for which one set of ot books of account is kept As the statistics will be presented by kinds and by classes of Industries industries in industries it Is essential that the precise character of at the work performed by each establishment shall be clearly deter determined determined determined mined A general schedule lule must be prepared for fol each establishment reported and in addition such special supple supplemental supplemental supplemental mental schedule or schedules as may ap apply appi apply ply pi to the Industry If any an Will Give Notice The method of ot the canvass requires that a few days prior to the day when a given ilven firm is to be he canvassed sed the special special special cial agent shall mail to the manufacturer a copy of the general schedule with the tha proper supplemental schedules together to her with the request that they be filled out in readiness for the special agent on his arrival 1 lu the event this ha has haa not been b n done at ut the time the agent a nt calls cans he lie will proceed to get the facts Immediately The information secured must be ac accurate accurate a curate In drafting the schedule every effort was made to frame the Inquiries In such a form that the tho answers to them can generally be bo taken directly from the books of accounts and the tho records of the establishment canvassed In no case are gen geD general general eral statements or estimates to be accepted ac accepted accepted where it is possible to secure an answers answers answers directly from the books of accounts account and records As Aa there Is a general interest in the subject of the comparative importance of tho cities states and territories with reference to the larger selected Indus Industries Industries industries tries it is exceedingly desirable that from tho the standpoint of chic civic pride alone the manufacturers throughout the United States should furnish the data without I delay dela in order that the industrial cen centers centers centers in which they operate may be com completely and correctly represented in the statistical tables Every manufacturer Is therefore urged to cooperate promptly and fully with ith the bureau of ot the 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