Page:The Economic Journal Volume 1.djvu/73

 Rh certain sense, thus, the expensiveness and extent of the census is an advantage, for it offers to the intelligent son of a farmer or small shopkeeper a tempting opportunity to earn a little ready money by easy work. In the cities the safety of the census lies in the fact that the special inquiries are taken out of the hands of the ordinary enumerators and placed in those of men especially qualified for the work. Paying by the name in large cities has, however, this weakness, that where an enumerator meets with unusual obstacles, as in a tenement house inhabited by foreigners who do not understand English, or a house when all the adult members of the family are absent, he is tempted to pass such places by and devote his energies to easier cases. There is reason to fear, therefore, that the enumeration in large cities is defective, although it must be remembered that cities in America are always ambitious and generally exaggerate their supposed population.

(3). Special Investigations by Experts.—There are, finally, a number of important inquiries which are not in the hands of the ordinary enumerators, but are confided to special agents. This system rests on the following clause in the Census Act of 1889:—

In accordance with this Act a large number of inquiries coming under the above heads have been prosecuted under the direction of special agents. The proper schedules were prepared and sent by mail to the persons concerned and, if necessary, agents were sent to procure the information. The most important of these inquiries are those pertaining to productive industry, manufactures, mining, etc., including the question of wages. Of interest also are those in regard to public indebtedness of states, municipalities, and counties, obtained by correspondence with local officials. This is another case where owing to our federal form of government (having no Local Government Board) the only way we can obtain