Special Message

To the House of Representatives:

I herewith return, without approval, H. R. 16954, entitled "An act to provide for the Thirteenth and subsequent decennial censuses." I do this with extreme reluctance, because I fully realize the importance of supplying the Director of the Census at as early a date as possible with the force necessary to the carrying on of his work. But it is of high consequence to the country that the statistical work of the census shall be conducted with entire accuracy. This is as important from the standpoint of business and industry as from the scientific standpoint. It is, therefore, in my judgment, essential that the result should not be open to the suspicion of bias on political and personal grounds; that it should not be open to the reasonable suspicion of being a waste of the people's money and a fraud.

Section 7 of the act provides in effect that appointments to the census shall be under the spoils system, for this is the real meaning of the provision that they shall be subject only to noncompetitive examination. The proviso is added that they shall be selected without regard to political party affiliations. But there is only one way to guarantee that they shall be selected without regard to politics and on merit, and that is by choosing them after competitive examination from the lists of eligibles provided by the Civil Service Commission. The present Director of the Census in his last report states the exact fact about these noncompetitive examinations when he says:

"A noncompetitive examination means that every one of the many thousands who will pass the examinations will have an equal right to appointment, and that personal and political pressure must in the end, as always before, become the determining factor with regard to the great body of these temporary employments. I can not too earnestly urge that the Director of the Census be relieved from this unfortunate situation."

To provide that the clerks and other employees shall be appointed after noncompetitive examination, and yet to provide that they shall be selected without regard to political party affiliations, means merely that the appointments shall be treated as the perquisites of the politicians of both parties, instead of as the perquisites of the politicians of one party. I do not believe in the doctrine that to the victor belong the spoils; but I think even less of the doctrine that the spoils shall be divided without a fight by the professional politicians on both sides; and this would be the result of permitting the bill in its present shape to become a law. Both of the last censuses, the Eleventh and the Twelfth, were taken under a provision of law excluding competition; that is, necessitating the appointments being made under the spoils system. Every man competent to speak with authority because of his knowledge of and familiarity with the work of those censuses has stated that the result was to produce extravagance and demoralization. Mr. Robert P. Porter, who took the census of 1890, states that--

"The efficiency of the decennial census would be greatly improved and its cost materially lessened if it were provided that the employees should be selected in accordance with the terms of the civil service law."

Mr. Frederick H. Vines, the Assistant Director of the Census of 1900, states as follows:

"A mathematical scale was worked out by which the number of 'assignments' to each Senator and Representative was determined in advance, so many appointments to a Senator, a smaller number to a Representative, half as many to a Democrat as a Republican, and in Democratic States and congressional districts the assignments were made to the Republican state and district committees. The assignees named in the first instance the persons to be examined. They were afterwards furnished each with a list of those names who had 'passed' and requested to name those whom they desired to have appointed. Vacancies were filled in the same manner. This system was thoroughly satisfactory to the majority of the politicians interested, though there were a few who refused to have anything to do with it. The effect upon the bureau was, as may readily be imagined, thoroughly demoralizing."

Mr. Carroll D. Wright, who had charge of the Census Bureau after the census of 1890, estimates that $2,000,000, and more than a year's time, would have been saved if the census force had been brought into the classified service, and adds:

"I do not hesitate to say one-third of the amount expended under my own administration was absolutely wasted, and wasted principally on account of the fact that the office was not under civil service rules. * * * In October, 1893, when I took charge of the Census Office, there was an office force of 1,092. There had been a constant reduction for many months and this was kept up without cessation till the close of the census. There was never a month after October. 1893, that the clerical force reached the number then in office; nevertheless, while these general reductions were being made and in the absence of any necessity for the increase of the force, 389 new appointments were made."

This of course meant the destruction of economy and efficiency for purely political considerations.

In view of the temporary character of the work, it would be well to waive the requirements of the civil service law as regards geographical apportionment, but the appointees should be chosen by competitive examination from the lists provided by the Civil Service Commission. The noncompetitive examination in a case like this is not only vicious, but is in effect a fraud upon the public. No essential change is effected by providing that it be conducted by the Civil Service Commission; and to provide that the employees shall be selected without regard to political party affiliations is empty and misleading, unless, at the same time, it is made effective in the only way in which it is possible to make it effective--that is, by providing that the examination shall be made competitive.

I also recommend that if provision is made that the census printing work may be done outside the Government Printing Office, it shall be explicitly provided that the Government authorities shall see that the eight-hour law is applied in effective fashion to these outside offices.

Outside of these matters, I believe that the bill is, on the whole, satisfactory and represents an improvement upon previous legislation on the subject. But it is of vital consequence that we should not once again permit the usefulness of this great decennial undertaking on behalf of the whole people to be marred by permitting it to be turned into an engine to further the self-interest of that small section of the people which makes a profession of politics. The evil effects of the spoils system and of the custom of treating appointments to the public service as personal perquisites of professional politicians are peculiarly evident in the case of a great public work like the taking of the census, a work which should emphatically be done for the whole people and with an eye single to their interest.

THEODORE ROOSEVELT.

THE WHITE HOUSE, February 5, 1909.

(H. R. 16954. Sixtieth Congress of the United States of America; at the second session. Begun and held at the city of Washington on Monday, the seventh day of December, one thousand nine hundred and eight.)

An act to provide for the Thirteenth and subsequent decennial censuses.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress Assembled , That a census of the population, agriculture, manufactures, and mines and quarries of the United States shall be taken by the Director of the Census in the year nineteen hundred and ten and every ten years thereafter. The census herein provided for shall include each State and Territory on the mainland of the United States, the District of Columbia, and Alaska, Hawaii, and Porto Rico.

SEC. 2. That the period of three years beginning the first day of July next preceding the census provided for in section one of this Act shall be known as the decennial census period, and the reports upon the inquiries provided for in said section shall be completed and published within such period.

Sec. 3. That after June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and nine, and during the decennial census period only, there may be employed in the Census Office, in addition to the force provided for by the Act of March sixth, nineteen hundred and two, entitled "An Act to provide for a permanent Census Office," an Assistant Director, who shall be an experienced practical statistician; a geographer, a chief statistician, who shall be a person of known and tried experience in statistical work, an appointment clerk, a private secretary to the Director, two stenographers, and eight expert chiefs of division. These officers, with the exception of the Assistant Director, shall be appointed without examination by the Secretary of Commerce and Labor upon the recommendation of the Director of the Census. The Assistant Director shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.

Sec. 4. That the Assistant Director shall perform such duties as may be prescribed by the Director of the Census. In the absence of the Director the Assistant Director shall serve as Director, and in the absence of the Director and Assistant Director the chief clerk shall serve as Director.

The appointment clerk shall perform the appointment duties assigned to the disbursing clerk in section four of the Act entitled "An Act to provide for a permanent Census Office," approved March sixth, nineteen hundred and two. The disbursing clerk of the Census Office shall, at the beginning of the decennial census period, give additional bond to the Secretary of the Treasury in the sum of one hundred thousand dollars, surety to be approved by the Solicitor of the Treasury, which bond shall be conditioned that the said officer shall render, quarter yearly, a true and faithful account to the proper accounting officers of the Treasury of all moneys and properties which shall be received by him by virtue of his office during the said decennial census period. Such bond shall be filed in the office of the Secretary of the Treasury, to be by him put in suit upon any breach of the conditions thereof.

Sec. 5. That during the decennial census period the annual compensation of the officials of the Census Office shall be as follows: The Director of the Census, seven thousand five hundred dollars; the private secretary to the Director, two thousand five hundred dollars; the Assistant Director, five thousand dollars; the chief statisticians, three thousand five hundred dollars each; the chief clerk, three thousand dollars; the disbursing clerk, three thousand dollars; the appointment clerk, three thousand dollars; the geographer, three thousand dollars; the chiefs of division, two thousand two hundred and fifty dollars each; and the stenographers provided for in section three of this Act, two thousand dollars each.

Sec. 6. That in addition to the force hereinbefore provided for and to that already authorized by law there may be employed in the Census Office during the decennial census period, and no longer, as many clerks of classes four, three, two, and one; as many clerks, copyists, computers, and skilled laborers, with salaries at the rate of not less than six hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars per annum, and as many messengers, assistant messengers, messenger boys, watchmen, unskilled laborers, and charwomen, as may be found necessary for the proper and prompt performance of the duties herein required, these additional clerks and employees to be appointed by the Director of the Census: Provided, That the total number of such additional clerks of classes two, three, and four shall at no time exceed one hundred: And provided further, That employees engaged in the compilation or tabulation of statistics by the use of mechanical devices may be compensated on a piece-price basis to be fixed by the Director.

Sec. 7. That the additional clerks and other employees provided for in section six shall be subject to such noncompetitive examination as the Director of the Census may prescribe, the said examination to be conducted by the United States Civil Service Commission: Provided, That they shall be selected without regard to the law of apportionment or to the political party affiliations of the applicants, and that preference may be given to persons having previous experience in census work whose efficiency records are satisfactory to the said Director, who may, in his discretion, accept such records in lieu of said examination: And provided further , That employees in other branches of the departmental classified service who have had previous experience in census work may be transferred without examination to the Census Office to serve during the whole or a part of the decennial census period, and at the end of such service the employees so transferred shall be eligible to appointment to positions of similar grade in any Department without examination: And provided further, That during the decennial census period and no longer the Director of the Census may fill vacancies in the permanent force of the Census Office by the promotion or transfer of clerks or other employees employed on the temporary force authorized by section six of this Act: And provided further, That at the expiration of the decennial census period the term of service of all employees so transferred and of all other temporary officers and employees appointed under the provisions of this Act shall terminate, and such officers and employees shall not thereafter be eligible to appointment or transfer into the classified service of the Government by virtue of their examination or appointment under this Act.

Sec. 8. That the Thirteenth Census shall be restricted to inquiries relating to population, to agriculture, to manufactures, and to mines and quarries. The schedules relating to population shall include for each inhabitant the name, relationship to head of family, color, sex, age, conjugal condition, place of birth, place of birth of parents, number of years in the United States, citizenship, occupation, whether or not employer or employee, school attendance, literacy, and tenure of home and whether or not a survivor of the Union or Confederate Army or Navy; and for the enumeration of institutions, shall include paupers, prisoners, juvenile delinquents, insane, feeble-minded, blind, deaf and dumb, and inmates of benevolent institutions.

The schedules relating to agriculture shall include name and color of occupant of each farm, tenure, acreage of farm, value of farm and improvements, value of farm implements, number and value of live stock on farms and ranges, number and value of domestic animals not on farms and ranges, and the acreage of crops as of the date of enumeration, and the acreage of crops and the quantity and value of crops and other farm products for the year ending December thirty-first next preceding the enumeration.

The schedules of inquiries relating to manufactures and to mines and quarries shall include the name and location of each establishment; character of organization, whether individual, cooperative, or other form; character of business or kind of goods manufactured; amount of capital actually invested; number of proprietors, firm members, copartners, stockholders, and officers and the amount of their salaries; number of employees and the amount of their wages; quantity and cost of materials used in manufactures; amount of miscellaneous expenses; quantity and value of products; time in operation during the census year; character and quantity of power used, and character and number of machines employed.

The census of manufactures and of mines and quarries shall relate to the year ending December thirty-first next preceding the enumeration of population and shall be confined to mines and quarries and manufacturing establishments which were in active operation during all or a portion of that year. The census of manufactures shall furthermore be confined to manufacturing establishments conducted under what is known as the factory system, exclusive of the so-called neighborhood household and hand industries.

The inquiry concerning manufactures shall cover the production of turpentine and rosin and the report concerning this industry shall show, in addition to the other facts covered by the regular schedule of manufactures, the quantity of crude turpentine gathered, the quantity of turpentine and rosin manufactured, the sources, methods, and extent of the industry.

Whenever he shall deem it expedient, the Director of the Census may charge the collection of these statistics upon special agents or upon detailed employees, to be employed without respect to locality.

The form and subdivision of inquiries necessary to secure the information under the foregoing topics shall be determined by the Director of the Census.

Sec. 9. That the Director of the Census shall, at least six months prior to the date fixed for commencing the enumeration at the Thirteenth and each succeeding decennial census, designate the number, whether one or more, of supervisors of census for each State and Territory, the District of Columbia, Alaska, the Hawaiian Islands, and Porto Rico, and shall define the districts within which they are to act; except that the Director of the Census, in his discretion, need not designate supervisors for Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands, but in lieu thereof may employ special agents as hereinafter provided. The supervisors shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate; Provided, That the whole number of supervisors shall not exceed three hundred and thirty: And provided further , That so far as practicable and desirable the boundaries of the supervisors' districts shall conform to the boundaries of the Congressional districts: And provided further, That if in any supervisor's district the supervisor has not been appointed and qualified ninety days preceding the date fixed for the commencement of the enumeration, or if any vacancy shall occur thereafter, either through death, removal, or resignation of the supervisor, or from any other cause, the Director of the Census may appoint a temporary supervisor or detail an employee of the Census Office to act as supervisor for that district.

Sec. 10. That each supervisor of census shall be charged with the performance, within his own district, of the following duties: To consult with the Director of the Census in regard to the division of his district into subdivisions most convenient for the purpose of the enumeration, which subdivisions or enumeration districts shall be defined and the boundaries thereof fixed by the Director of the Census; to designate to the Director suitable persons, and, with his consent, to employ such persons as enumerators, one or more for each subdivision, to communicate to enumerators the necessary instructions and directions relating to their duties; to examine and scrutinize the returns of the enumerators, and in the event of discrepancies or deficiencies appearing in any of the said returns to use all diligence in causing the same to be corrected or supplied; to forward the completed returns of the enumerators to the Director at such time and in such manner as shall be prescribed, and to make up and forward to the Director the accounts of each enumerator in his district for service rendered, which accounts shall be duly certified to by the enumerator, and the same shall be certified as true and correct, if so found, by the supervisor, and said accounts so certified shall be accepted and paid by the Director. The duties imposed upon the supervisor by this Act shall be performed in any and all particulars in accordance with the orders and instructions of the Director of the Census.

Sec. 11. That each supervisor of the census shall, upon the completion of his duties to the satisfaction of the Director of the Census, receive the sum of one thousand five hundred dollars and, in addition thereto, one dollar for each thousand or majority fraction of a thousand of population enumerated in his district, such sums to be in full compensation for all services rendered and expenses incurred by him: Provided , That of the above-named compensation a sum not to exceed six hundred dollars, in the discretion of the Director of the Census, may be paid to any supervisor prior to the completion of his duties in one or more payments, as the Director of the Census may determine: Provided further , That in emergencies arising in connection with the work of preparation for, or during the progress of, the enumeration in his district, or in connection with the reenumeration of any subdivision, a supervisor may, in the discretion of the Director of the Census, be allowed actual and necessary traveling expenses and an allowance in lieu of subsistence not exceeding four dollars per day during his necessary absence from his usual place of residence: And provided further, That an appropriate allowance to supervisors for clerk hire may be made when deemed necessary by the Director of the Census.

Sec. 12. That each enumerator shall be charged with the collection in his subdivision of the facts and statistics required by the population and agricultural schedules and such other schedules as the Director of the Census may determine shall be used by him in connection with the census, as provided in section eight of this Act. It shall be the duty of each enumerator to visit personally each dwelling house in his subdivision, and each family therein, and each individual living out of a family in any place of abode, and by inquiry made of the head of each family, or of the member thereof deemed most competent and trustworthy, or of such individual living out of a family, to obtain each and every item of information and all particulars required by this Act as of date April fifteenth of the year in which the enumeration shall be made; and in case no person shall be found at the usual place of abode of such family, or individual living out of a family, competent to answer the inquiries made in compliance with the requirements of this Act, then it shall be lawful for the enumerator to obtain the required information as nearly as may be practicable from families or persons living in the neighborhood of such place of abode. It shall be the duty also of each enumerator to forward the original schedules, properly filled out and duly certified, to the supervisor of his district as his returns under the provisions of this Act; and in the event of discrepancies or deficiencies being discovered in these schedules he shall use all diligence in correcting or supplying the same. In case an enumeration district embraces all or any part of any incorporated borough, village, town, or city, and also other territory not included within the limits of such incorporated borough, village, town or city, it shall be the duty of the enumerator to clearly and plainly distinguish and separate, upon the population schedules, the inhabitants of such borough, village, town or city from the inhabitants of the territory not included therein. No enumerator shall be deemed qualified to enter upon his duties until he has received from the supervisor of the district to which he belongs a commission, signed by the supervisor, authorizing him to perform the duties of an enumerator, and setting forth the boundaries of the subdivision within which such duties are to be performed.

Sec. 13. That the territory assigned to each supervisor shall be divided into as many enumeration districts as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this Act, and, in the discretion of the Director of the Census, two or more enumeration districts may be given to one enumerator, and the boundaries of all the enumeration districts shall be clearly described by civil divisions, rivers, roads, public surveys, or other easily distinguishable lines: Provided, That enumerations may be assigned for the special enumeration of institutions, when desirable, without reference to the number of inmates.

Sec. 14. That any supervisor of census may, with the approval of the Director of the Census, remove any enumerator in his district and fill the vacancy thus caused or otherwise occurring. Whenever it shall appear that any portion of the census provided for in this Act has been negligently or improperly taken, and is by reason thereof incomplete or erroneous, the Director of the Census may cause such incomplete and unsatisfactory enumeration and census to be amended or made anew.

Sec. 15. That the Director of the Census may authorize and direct supervisors of census to employ interpreters to assist the enumerators of their respective districts in the enumeration of persons not speaking the English language, but no authorization shall be given for such employment in any district until due and proper effort has been made to secure an enumerator who can speak the language or languages for which the services of an interpreter would otherwise be required. The compensation of such interpreters shall be fixed by the Director of the Census in advance, and shall not exceed five dollars per day for each day actually and necessarily employed.

Sec. 16. That the compensation of enumerators shall be determined by the Director of the Census as follows: In subdivisions where he shall deem such remuneration sufficient, an allowance of not less than two nor more than four cents for each inhabitant; not less than twenty nor more than thirty cents for each farm reported; ten cents for each barn and enclosure containing live stock not on farms, and not less than twenty nor more than thirty cents for each establishment of productive industry reported. In other subdivisions the Director of the Census may fix a mixed rate of not less than one nor more than two dollars per day and, in addition, an allowance of not less than one no more than three cents for each inhabitant enumerated, and not less than fifteen nor more than twenty cents for each farm and each establishment of productive industry reported. In other subdivisions per diem rates shall be fixed by the Director according to the difficulty of enumeration, having special reference to the regions to be canvassed and the sparsity of settlement or other considerations pertinent thereto. The compensation allowed to an enumerator in any such district shall be not less than three nor more than six dollars per day of eight hours actual field work, and no payment shall be made for time in excess of eight hours for any one day. The subdivisions or enumeration districts to which the several rates of compensation shall apply shall be designated by the Director of the Census at least two weeks in advance of the enumeration. No claim for mileage or traveling expenses shall be allowed any enumerator in either class of subdivisions, except in extreme cases, and then only when authority has been previously granted by the Director of the Census; and the decision of the Director as to the amount due any enumerator shall be final.

Sec. 17. That in the event of the death of any supervisor or enumerator after his appointment and entrance on his duties, the Director of the Census is authorized to pay to his widow or his legal representative such sum as he may deem just and fair for the services rendered by such supervisor or enumerator.

Sec. 18. That special agents may be appointed by the Director of the Census to carry out the provisions of this Act and of the Act to provide for a permanent Census Office approved March sixth, nineteen hundred and two, and Acts amendatory thereof or supplemental thereto. The special agents thus appointed shall have like authority with the enumerators in respect to the subjects committed to them under this Act, and shall receive compensation at rates to be fixed by the Director of the Census: Provided , That the same shall in no case exceed six dollars per day and actual necessary traveling expenses, and an allowance in lieu of subsistence not exceeding four dollars per day during necessary absence from their usual place of residence: Provided further, That no pay or allowance in lieu of subsistence shall be allowed special agents when employed in the Census Office on other than the special work committed to them, and no appointments of special agents shall be made for clerical work: And provided further, That the Director of the Census shall have power, and is hereby authorized, to appoint special agents to assist the supervisors whenever he may deem it proper, in connection with the work of preparation for, or during the progress of the enumeration or in connection with the reenumeration of any district or a part thereof; or he may, in his discretion, employ for this purpose any of the permanent or temporary employees of the Census Office: And provided further, That the Director of the Census may, in his discretion, fix the compensation of special agents on a piece-price basis.

Sec. 19. That every supervisor, supervisor's clerk, enumerator, interpreter, special agent, or other employee shall take and subscribe to an oath or affirmation, to be prescribed by the Director of the Census. All appointees and employees provided for in this Act shall be appointed or employed, and examined, if examination is required by this Act, solely with reference to their fitness to perform the duties required of them by the provisions of this Act, and without reference to their political party affiliations.

Sec. 20. That the enumeration of the population required by section one of this Act shall be taken as of the fifteenth day of April; and it shall be the duty of each enumerator to commence the enumeration of his district on that day, unless the Director of the Census in his discretion shall defer the enumeration in said district by reason of climatic or other conditions which would materially interfere with the proper conduct of the work; but in any event it shall be the duty of each enumerator to prepare the returns hereinbefore required to be made except those relating to paupers, prisoners, juvenile delinquents, insane, feeble-minded, blind, deaf and dumb, and inmates of benevolent institutions, and to forward the same to the supervisor of his district, within thirty days from the commencement of the enumeration of his district: Provided , That in any city having five thousand inhabitants or more under the preceding census the enumeration of the population shall be commenced on the fifteenth day of April aforesaid and shall be completed within two weeks thereafter.

Sec. 21. That if any person shall receive or secure to himself any fee, reward, or compensation as a consideration for the appointment or employment of any person as enumerator or clerk or other employee, or shall in any way receive or secure to himself any part of the compensation paid to any enumerator or clerk or other employee, he shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined not more than three thousand dollars and be imprisoned not more than five years.

Sec. 22. That any supervisor, supervisor's clerk, enumerator, interpreter, special agent, or other employee, who, having taken and subscribed the oath of office required by this Act, shall, without justifiable cause, neglect or refuse to perform the duties enjoined on him by this Act, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not exceeding five hundred dollars; or if he shall, without the authority of the Director of the Census, publish or communicate any information coming into his possession by reason of his employment under the provisions of this Act, or the Act to provide for a permanent Census Office, or Acts amendatory thereof or supplemental thereto, he shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall upon conviction thereof be fined not to exceed one thousand dollars, or be imprisoned not to exceed two years or both so fined and imprisoned, in the discretion of the court; or if he shall willfully and knowingly swear to or affirm falsely, he shall be deemed guilty of perjury, and upon conviction thereof shall be imprisoned not exceeding five years and be fined not exceeding two thousand dollars: or if he shall willfully and knowingly make a false certificate or a fictitious return, he shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction of either of the last-named offenses he shall be fined not exceeding two thousand dollars and be imprisoned not exceeding five years; or if any person who is or has been an enumerator shall knowingly or willfully furnish, or cause to be furnished, directly or indirectly, to the Director of the Census, or to any supervisor of the census, any false statement or false information with reference to any inquiry for which he was authorized and required to collect information, he shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined not exceeding two thousand dollars and be imprisoned not exceeding five years.

Sec. 23. That it shall be the duty of all persons over twenty-one years of age when requested by the Director of the Census, or by any supervisor, enumerator, or special agent, or other employee of the Census Office, acting under the instructions of the said Director, to answer correctly, to the best of their knowledge, all questions on the census schedules applying to themselves and to the family to which they belong or are related, and to the farm or farms of which they or their families are the occupants; and any person over twenty-one years of age who, under the conditions hereinbefore stated, shall refuse or willfully neglect to answer any of these questions, or shall willfully give answers that are false, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined not exceeding one hundred dollars.

And it shall be the duty of every owner, proprietor, manager, superintendent, or agent of a hotel, apartment house, boarding or lodging house, tenement, or other building, when requested by the Director of the Census, or by any supervisor, enumerator, special agent, or other employee of the Census Office, acting under the instructions of the said Director, to furnish the names of the occupants of said hotel, apartment house, boarding or lodging house, tenement, or other building, and to give thereto free ingress and egress to any duly accredited representative of the Census Office, so as to permit of the collection of statistics for census purposes, including the proper and correct enumeration of all persons having their usual place of abode in, said hotel, apartment house, boarding or lodging house, tenement, or other building; and any owner, proprietor, manager, superintendent, or agent of a hotel, apartment house, boarding or lodging house, tenement, or other building who shall refuse or willfully neglect to give such information or assistance under the conditions hereinbefore stated shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined not exceeding five hundred dollars.

Sec. 24. And it shall be the duty of every owner, president, treasurer, secretary, director, or other officer or agent of any manufacturing establishment, mine, quarry, or other establishment of productive industry, whether conducted as a corporation, firm, limited liability company, or by private individuals, when requested by the Director of the Census or by any supervisor, enumerator, special agent, or other employee of the Census Office acting under the instructions of the said Director, to answer completely and correctly to the best of his knowledge all questions of any census schedule applying to such establishment; and any owner, president, secretary, director, or other officer or agent of any manufacturing establishment, mine, quarry, or other establishment of productive industry, who under the conditions hereinbefore stated shall refuse or willfully neglect to answer any of these questions or shall willfully give answers that are false, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined not exceeding ten thousand dollars, or imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year, or both so fined and imprisoned, at the discretion of the court. The provisions of this section shall also apply to the collection of the information required and authorized by the Act entitled "An Act to provide for a permanent Census Office," and by Acts amendatory thereof or supplemental thereto.

Sec. 25. That the information furnished under the provisions of the next preceding section shall be used only for the statistical purposes for which it is supplied. No publication shall be made by the Census Office whereby the data furnished by any particular establishment can be identified, nor shall the Director of the Census permit anyone other than the sworn employees of the Census Office to examine the individual reports.

Sec. 26. That all fines and penalties imposed by this Act may be enforced by indictment or information in any court of competent jurisdiction.

Sec. 27. That the Director of the Census may authorize the expenditure of necessary sums for the actual and necessary traveling expenses of the officers and employees of the Census Office, including an allowance in lieu of subsistence not exceeding four dollars per day during their necessary absence from the Census Office, or, instead of such an allowance, their actual subsistence expenses, not exceeding five dollars per day; and he may authorize the incidental, miscellaneous, and contingent expenses necessary for the carrying out of this Act, as herein provided, and not otherwise, including advertising in newspapers, the purchase of manuscripts, books of reference and periodicals, the rental of sufficient quarters in the District of Columbia or elsewhere and the furnishing thereof, and expenditures necessary for the compiling, printing, publishing, and distributing the results of the census, and purchase of necessary paper and other supplies, the purchase, rental, construction, and repair of mechanical appliances, the compensation of such permanent and temporary clerks as may be employed under the provisions of this Act and the Act establishing the permanent Census Office and Acts amendatory thereof or supplemental thereto, and all other expenses incurred under authority conveyed in this Act.

Sec. 28. That the Director of the Census is hereby authorized to make requisition upon the Public Printer for such printing as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act, to wit: Blanks, schedules, circulars, pamphlets, envelopes, work sheets, and other items of miscellaneous printing; that he is further authorized to have printed by the Public Printer, in such editions as the Director may deem necessary, preliminary and other Census bulletins, and final reports of the results of the several investigations authorized by this Act, or by the Act to establish a permanent Census Office and Acts amendatory thereof or supplemental thereto, and to publish and distribute said bulletins and reports: Provided , That whenever in the opinion of the Director of the Census the Public Printer does not produce the printing and binding required under the provisions of this Act with sufficient promptness, or whenever said printing and binding are not produced by the Public Printer in a manner satisfactory to the Director of the Census in quality or price, said Director is hereby authorized, with the approval of the Secretary of Commerce and Labor, to contract with private parties for printing and binding after due competition.

Sec. 29. That all mail matter, of whatever class, relating to the census and addressed to the Census Office, or to any official thereof, and indorsed "Official business, Census Office," shall be transmitted free of postage, and by registered mail if necessary, and so marked: Provided , That if any person shall make use of such indorsement to avoid the payment of postage or registry fee on his or her private letter, package, or other matter in the mail, the person so offending shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to a fine of three hundred dollars, to be prosecuted in any court of competent jurisdiction.

Sec. 30. That the Secretary of Commerce and Labor, whenever he may deem it advisable, or on request of the Director of the Census, is hereby authorized to call upon any other department or office of the Government for information pertinent to the work herein provided for.

Sec. 31. That there shall be in the year nineteen hundred and fifteen, and once every ten years thereafter, a census of agriculture and live stock, which shall show the acreage of farm land, the acreage of the principal crops, and the number and value of domestic animals on the farms and ranges of the country. The schedule employed in this census shall be prepared by the Director of the Census. Such census shall be taken as of October first, and shall relate to the current year. The Director of the Census may appoint enumerators or special agents for the purpose of this census, in accordance with the provisions of the permanent Census Act.

Sec. 32. That the Director of the Census is hereby authorized, at his discretion, upon the written request of the governor of any State or Territory, or of a court of record, to furnish such governor or court of record with certified copies of so much of the population or agricultural returns as may be requested, upon the payment of the actual cost of making such copies, and one dollar additional for certification; and that the Director of the Census is further authorized, in his discretion, to furnish to individuals such data from the population schedules as may be desired for genealogical or other proper purposes, upon payment of the actual cost of searching the records and one dollar for supplying a certificate; and the amounts so received shall be covered into the Treasury of the United States, to be placed to the credit of, and in addition to, the appropriations made for taking the census.

Sec. 33. That the Director of the Census, under the supervision of the Secretary of Commerce and Labor, be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed to acquire by purchase, condemnation, or otherwise, for the use of the Census Office, and for other governmental purposes, the site and buildings thereon, containing about one hundred and eighteen thousand square feet of ground, and constituting the southern three hundred and fifty feet, more or less, of square numbered five hundred and seventy-four, in Washington, District of Columbia, bounded on the north by a public alley, on the south by B street, on the east by First street, and on the west by Second street northwest: Provided , That not more than four hundred and thirty thousand dollars shall be paid for the property herein referred to.

That the said Director of the Census, under the supervision of the Secretary of Commerce and Labor, is instructed to cause to be erected on such portion of the site as is not now occupied by buildings a commodious and substantial building with fire-proof vaults, heating and ventilating apparatus, elevators, and approaches, for the use of the Census Office, and for other governmental purposes, the cost of such building not to exceed two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. A sum of money sufficient to pay for the property and the erection of the said building is hereby appropriated out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated: Provided , That no part of the said appropriation shall be expended until a valid title to the property referred to shall be vested in the United States.

Sec. 34. That the Act establishing the permanent Census Office, approved March sixth, nineteen hundred and two, and Acts amendatory thereof and supplemental thereto, except as herein amended, shall remain in full force. That the Act entitled "An Act to provide for taking the Twelfth and subsequent censuses," approved March third, eighteen hundred and ninety-nine, and all other laws and parts of laws inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed.

J. G. CANNON,

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

CHARLES W. FAIRBANKS,

Vice-President of the United States and

President of the Senate.

I certify that this Act originated in the House of Representatives.

A. McDowell, Clerk.