Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 March 1880 — How England Takes Her Census. [ARTICLE]

How England Takes Her Census.

In Great Britain a census has been taken every ten years since 1801, and the system is noir one of the most perfect in existence. Until near the dose of the last century, there was no real method, and all previous estimations of the population of the United Kingdom were mere guess wokk. It seems the more strange that such should have been the fact, considering that, in the American colonies, enumerations of the population bad often been made by order of the Home Government. In 1790, a beginning was made in Scotland by Sir John Sinclair, who, through his personal efforts in enlisting the cooperation of all the clergymen of the established church, collected returns which were of great value, although necessarily incomplete. After seven years he completed his compilations, and published the result in twenty-one volumes, probably the greatest statistical work ever undertaken and carried through by one private enterprise. Under the system adopted in 1851, the census in Great Britain is now taken in one <*»y. the 31st of March. In 1851, 30,610 enumerators were appointed in England and Wales by the 2,190 District Registrars in those countries, each enumerator having a distinctly defined district assigned to him. In Scotland the thirty-two Sheriffs appointed the temporary Registrars—generally par. ish schoolmasters—and 8,180 enumerators. For the smaller islands the Government appointed 257 enumerators, and in Ireland the census was taken by the constabulary. Some days before the census day printed schedules were delivered at every house or tenement; in Wales these were printed in Webb for the benefit of the lower classes. These schedules contained questions about the name, relation to head of 'family, condition, a&e, sex, occupation and birthplace of every person in Great Britain, and also as to the number of deaf, dumb and blind. Measures were taken to secure accurately the names of night laborers, persons out of the country, travelers, seamen, soldiers, etc. These schedules were all filled up in the night of March 80-81, and were taken up athn early, hour cm March 81, the collector filling up the parts that had been left blank through their negligence or inability. All unoccupied houses and buildings jn course of construction were also noted. The floating population—persons who spent the nights in boats and barges, in barns, sheds, etc., were requireato be estimated as nearly m possible. The enumerators were a(lowed one week to make their returns, ih all transcribed, and the summaries and estimates completed according to detailed instructions. The District Registrars had to complete their revision of the returns of their subordinates in a fortnight, paying particular attentionto nine specially defined joints. These revised returns were again revised by the “Superintendent Registrars,” and then transmitted to the census office. The census was the most successful, in quickness and accuracy, accomplished in any country up to that time, and the same system has been pursued, with little variation, ever since. The digestion •BBSs are of thegreatest has served as a model for many other ttto. V printed pvQvuaieS. .LrQSl&ft