VIII. The district assigned to any enumerator shall not exceed 1,500 inhabitants for urban and 1,000 inhabitants for suburban or rural districts, as near as may be, according to estimates based on the preceding census or other reliable information, and the boundaries of all enumeration districts shall be clearly described by civil divisions, rivers, roads, public surveys, or other easily distinguished lines: Provided, That enumerators may be assigned for the special enumeration of institutions, when desirable, without reference to the number of inmates. IX. Any supervisor of the census may, with the approval of the Assistant Director of the Census, remove any enumerator in his department and fill the vacancy thus caused or otherwise occurring. Whenever it shall appear that any portion of the enumeration and census provided for in this order has been negligently or improperly taken, and is by reason thereof incomplete or erroneous, the Assistant Director of the Census may cause such incomplete and unsatisfactory enumeration and census to be amended or made anew under such methods as may in his discretion be practicable. X. The Assistant Director of the Census may authorize and direct supervisors of the census to employ interpreters to assist the enumerators of their respective districts in the enumeration of persons not speaking the language of the country, the compensation of such interpreters not to exceed three dollars per day for each day actually and necessarily employed. XI. No supervisor's clerk, interpreter, special agent, or other official shall enter upon his duties until he has taken and subscribed to the oath or affirmation prescribed by the Secretary of War; and no supervisor, supervisor's clerk, enumerator, or special agent shall be accompanied by or assisted in the performance of his duties by any person not duly appointed as an officer or employee of the Porto Rican census, and to whom an oath or affirmation has not been duly administered. All appointees and employees provided for in this order shall be appointed or employed solely with reference to their fitness to perform the duties of the position to which they may be appointed. XII. The enumeration of the population required by this order shall commence on the 10th day of November, 1899, and be taken as of that date. And it shall be the duty of each enumerator to complete the enumeration of his district and to prepare the returns hereinbefore required to be made, and to forward the same to the supervisor of the census of his department on or before the 20th day of December, 1899. XIII. If any person shall receive or secure to himself any fee, reward, or compensation as a onsideration 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 to be paid for the services of any enumerator or clerk or other employee, he shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction thereof shall be fined not more than $1,000, or be imprisoned not more than one year, or both. XIV. If any supervisor, supervisor's clerk, enumerator, interpreter, special agent, or other employee, who, having taken and subscribed the oath of office required by this order, shall, without justifiable cause, neglect or refuse to perform the duties enjoined on him by this order, or shall, without the authority of the Director of the Census, communicate to any person not authorized to receive the same any information gained by him in the performance of his duties, he shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be fined not exceeding $500; or if he shall willfully and knowingly swear or affirm falsely, he shall be deemed guilty of perjury, and upon conviction thereof shall be imprisoned not exceeding two years, and shall be fined not exceeding $500; 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 $2,000 and be imprisoned not exceeding two years. XV. Each and every person more than 20 years of age belonging to any family residing in any enumeration district, and in case of the absence of the heads and other members of any such family, then any representative of such family, shall be, and each of them hereby is, required, if thereto requested by the Assistant Director, supervisor, or enumerator, to render a true account, to the best of his or her knowledge, of every person belonging to such family in the various particulars required, and whoever shall willfully fail or refuse to render such true account shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined in a sum not exceeding $100. And every president, treasurer, secretary, director, agent, or other officer of every corporation, and every establishment of productive industry, whether conducted as a corporate body, limited liability company, or by private individuals, from which answers to any of the schedules, inquiries, or statistical interrogatories provided for by this order are herein required, who shall if thereto requested by the Assistant Director, supervisor, enumerator, or special agent, willfully neglect or refuse to give true and complete answers to any inquiries authorized by this order, or shall willfully give false information, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall be fined not exceeding $3,000, to which may be added imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year. XVI. All fines and penalties imposed in this order shall be enforced by due legal process in the supreme court, and the courts of the judicial districts of the island, according to the nature and degree of the offense, and they are hereby granted jurisdiction for this purpose. XVII. The Director of the Census may authorize the expenditure of necessary sums for the traveling expenses of the officers and employees of the census and the incidental expenses essential to the carrying out of this order as herein provided for, and not otherwise, including the rental of offices for the Assistant Director and supervisors of the census, and the furnishing thereof. XVIII. All mail matter of whatever class, relative to the Porto Rican census and addressed to the Director, Assistant Director, or any supervisor or enumerator of the census, and indorsed "Official Business, War Department, Porto Rican Census," shall be transported free of postage; and all telegrams relative to the Porto Rican census sent or received by the officials aforesaid, shall be free of charge; and if any person shall make use of the postal and telegraph franking privileges herein granted, to avoid the payment of postage or telegraph charges on a private message, letter, package, or other matter sent by mail or telegraph, the person so offending shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to a fine of $300. XIX. The Director of the Census is hereby authorized to print and bind such blanks, circulars, envelopes, and other items as may be necessary, and to tabulate, print, publish, and distribute the results of this census. XX. The expenses of taking the Porto Rican census, including the pay and allowance of civil officials and employees, shall be paid from the revenues of Porto Rico, and the Military Governor of Porto Rico will nominate one of the disbursing officers of the army in each census department to act as paymaster, who shall be provided with the necessary funds and who shall make disbursements in behalf of the Porto Rican census, according to such instructions and under such regulations as may be prescribed by the Secretary of War. The names, rank, and stations of the officers so nominated will be communicated to the Adjutant-General of the Army by the Military Governor of Porto Rico, and will be announced in War Department orders. XXI. The Military Governor of Porto Rico, and all civil and military officers in the island, will render such assistance to the Director, Assistant Director, supervisors, and enumerators of the Porto Rican census, as may be necessary to enable them to carry into effect the provisions of this order. ELIHU ROOT, APPENDIX II. WAR DEPARTMENT ORDER ORGANIZING THE CENSUS. WAR DEPARTMENT, Washington, September 22, 1899. I. The following-named officers nominated by the Military Governor of Porto Rico are appointed disbursing officers of the Porto Rican census, and will be respected accordingly: Maj. Charles L. Davis, Eleventh Infantry, census department of Bayamon. II. Disbursing officers will pay the compensation of the Assistant Director, supervisors, enumerators, clerks, and other employees of the census, the rent of the offices of the Assistant Director and supervisors, the purchase or rental of office furniture, transportation and telegraph vouchers, the expenses of travel of officers and employees, as established by the Secretary of War, and such incidental expenses as may be authorized by the Director of the Census under paragraphs XVII and XIX of the order of the President for taking the census of Porto Rico. III. In making expenditures and keeping their accounts, disbursing officers will be governed by the rules and instructions applicable to the revenues of Porto Rico established by the President: Provided, That the accounts of expenditures in behalf of the census of Porto Rico shall be kept separately from all other accounts and furnished in this form to the War Department. IV. Disbursing officers will be stationed in the principal cities of their respective census departments and will communicate, without delay, with the supervisors of census, and will give them such information as to preparing their vouchers and keeping their accounts as may be necessary to the prompt settlement of all indebtedness. ELIHU ROOT, Secretary of War. |