The Kusko Times

1930 CENSUS WILL BE A
BIG UNDERTAKING

The year 1930 will be of unusual interest to all of us because it is the year in which the official census will be taken. All of us will be glad to know how much the old town has grown in ten years, especially if it has grown vigorously and well. An interesting story of the preparations being made for taking the census, together with a history of our census taking, will be found in the current issue of the National Republic.

It was written by William M. Steuart, director of the bureau of the census of the United States Department of Commerce, under the title "Uncle Sam to Go Visiting." In setting out the history of the development of our census taking in America, Mr. Steuart says, in part:

"Some three thousand years ago King David set out to number the people of Israel and Judah. It took nine months and twenty days to make the count, and the returns showed 1,300,000 valiant men that drew the sword."

"At the beginning of our own national existence we took a census approximately equal in magnitude to that taken by King David. The United States marshals, to whom this task was assigned, were allowed thirteen months for the enumeration, and returned a total population of a little less than 4,000,000! The census of population was established as a decennial event by the constitution of the United States, and is the only current statistical inquiry which rests on such fundamental legal authority.

Prior to 1790, the date of the first census of the United States, little had been done in any country toward establishing a regular periodic census of population. Since that date the nations of the world have been developing methods and machinery that make possible a speedy counting of the people and the accumulation at the same time of a vast amount of data regarding educational, social and economic conditions. The development of modern statistical methods has probably gone farther in the United States than in any other country, and the director of the census is required in one month to enumerate 120,000,000 people and to obtain rather exhaustive information for about 6,250,000 farms, 14,000 mines and quarries, and more than 100,000 irrigation and drainage projects.

"The population of continental United States is now increasing at the rate of 1,400,000 persons per year, or approximately one person every twenty-six seconds. The total increase is made up of the annual excess of births over deaths, which amounts to 1,150,000, and the excess of immigration over emigration, 250,000 per year. By 1930 the population will be nearly three times as great as it was in 1790, and nearly twice what it was in 1890, or only forty years ago.

"History records no other instance in which the population has grown so rapidly. Further, there has been no other nation in which the increase in population has been accompanied by such improvement in the comfort and well-being of the people. As a statistician, I believe that this advancement has been due in no small degree to the definite knowledge we have of our production, our resources, our facilities for transportation, and our population, as expressed in current statistics. It is the duty of the bureau of the census to examine much of this information and give publicity to it so that every individual and every industrial and commercial enterprise, big or little, may have it and may be in a position to make sure of it."-Exchange.