Show THE THE NEXT CENSUS 4 The Tho machinery for the taking of the next national census two years hence Is already well wen under way It is s the expressed purpose of the administration tion to make as far ag at a in n its power lies the approaching census us the most and reliable that as yet has been taken in this country coun ry Certainly it cannot be said of or any of our census lists that they have answered this de description deA description We have had reasonably able men in charge of the work but buthe the fhe results attained have not been up to the standard of efficiency cy that should have been maintained In a letter to congress President res dent Roosevelt suggests that it is necessary to make all an appointments to census po positions positions positions in 1910 on a merit basis Here Heretofore Heretofore Heretofore census appointments have been 1 turned over to senators and ana an congress congressmen congressmen congressI I men as part o or their perquisites they have been by the thc th national lawmakers law Ja makers in tho the Construction q and re reconstruction reconstruction construction of of their personal political Enumerators rs have been chosen with reference to their ability to help the individual who appoints them rather than to lo their fitness for the places es The result has been that the work has been slighted as much as the enumerators s sand and dared to slight it The po position position is a temporary one for the great body of oC the workers and their main object has hasi been to o get through as quickly and with as little trouble as possible All they thic have wanted is to tomake tomake tomake make a showing sufficient to enable them to draw their pay The National l Board of Trade passed the other day da a resolution favoring the merit system for census appointments The board is particularly interested inter sted in inan Inan inan an accurate t census So o are ar commercial bodies everywhere They want to know with some degree of certainty the he number and character of the population population population tion they expect to reach with their manufacturing and other enterprises They want to know with some certain certainty ty whether or not the field is covered I Iby by other enterprises of similar charac character character I ter tel Unless the census is accurate it Is of almost no value It has had ha been said thoughtlessly that nobody is ed d In census c figures that the preparation preparation preparation tion of ot great volumes of statistics cov coy covering covering ering information of or all aU kinds about population manufactures farm prod products products products and the like is work that is as useless as it Is expensive This is by byno byno byno no means true It Is doubtless well within the bounds of reason to say that practically nobody except the om directly Interested ever reads the volumes of census statistics from title page to finish But nearly everybody has occasion at some time tim to investigate investigate Investigate gate details of the census A census that is accurate in nine ninetynine ninetynine ninetynine details and inaccurate ln in inthe n the tho hundredth is valueless because the tho hundredth detail may moty bethe be betho betho tho the ono one that that some somo Individual is jf most anxious an lous to secure information about The theory of ot em employing employIng only competent men regard less lesz of polices to todo do o this work is em eminently emInently Inertly sound Congress has bas not yet et shown any disposition to accept the presidents suggestion but it is greatly to be hoped that if legislation is necessary necessary sary nary to accomplish the result Desired It will be bo enacted without delay |