Show THINKS OUR POPULATION lION OVERSTATED Director Durand Says Reductions Re S Were Made in Twenty three Cities WASHINGTON W. Sil INGTON 1 Feb IS Taking Taking the country countr as a whole It Js Jg Is probable that the time population Is slightly overstated o by the time census bureau declares Director of or the Census Durand In his tile annual report but whether the too margin of or error Is a fraction traction of or 1 per pcr cent or amounts 10 to as much as 2 leI pei- percent cent no one can positively kno know That It should exceed 2 per cent Is certainly certain extremely Improbable This statement Is made In tho the course of ot his discussions of tho time three twenty cities clUes which were oH O DeclarIng Declaring ing his Intention to make mako an Investigation In ion tion of ot c census taking abroad to discover means for tor or materially Improving the tIme work In the United States the director states Jt It ma may be that the present methods of ot taking the census hero bore are as nearly nearl perfect perfect per per- teet as Is 18 possible It was necessary r after careful Investigation litres- litres the tho director says to correct the tho population figures for some twenty-three twenty cities citie of or the United States whose hose census returns had been Inaccurately made or padded either Intentionally or through carelessness or error He says that In several cities there seems scents to have hare been a deliberate conspiracy C cy between private Individuals and some Rome of ot the time special agents or 01 enumerators or both to Inflate fraudulently the census returns Several Sc C cases of or padding are arc arenow arenow now In the tho hands of ot the department of or justice Taking up the cost of oC the census taking taking tak tak- In ing the director thinks It will exceed Its original estimate by The entire cost of ot field work on population and agriculture agriculture agriculture agri agri- culture was about an aim Increase over f 1900 of about or mate per cent |