Mr. STEUART. Could you not make your amendment that way? Senator VANDENBERG. In other words, I do not want to make any complication between this law and the ultimate reapportionment law when it passes.

Mr. STEUART. Make it the total population required for the reapportionment.

Senator VANDENBERG. That would be all right.

The CHAIRMAN. It is urged as a serious objection to the 1st of May that renters of farms, for instance, will at that time be on new farms; that they will have moved.

Mr. STEUART. That refers to the agricultural census, and I was going to tell you that there are representatives of the Agricultural Department here and I am satisfied that November 1 is the best time for taking the agricultural census. They may have some different idea about it, and I acquiesce in their recommendation concerning that, as I believe the Secretary of Commerce would acquiesce in the recommendations of the Secretary of Agriculture concerning the date of the census for agriculture.

The CHAIRMAN. November 1 is preferable to December 1, is it?

Mr. STEUART. Yes; and due to the fact that the enumeration can not be made before the holiday season; and that is the worst weather we will have in the year in the Northern States.

Senator FLETCHER. More of them will have gone to Florida at that time.

Mr. STEUART. Yes; more of them will have gone to Florida and to California. Everybody who has a home wants to go to it, generally, some time during the year, for a short time, anyhow, and we think the fall of the year is the time most people seek their homes—just to see if the house is there.

The CHAIRMAN. You contemplate making the enumeration in about two weeks?

Mr. STEUART. Yes; the enumeration in the cities in two weeks, and in the country in a month or less. I am doing preliminary work at this time, Senator, that has never been done before, to insure, just as far as I can, the completion of that census within the time contemplated by the law, and I think it is right the law should limit the time of the taking of the census. Otherwise it will be dragged out. Senator JOHNSON. Do you think the census that you are about to take will be as accurate as the 1790 census?

Mr. STEUART. What is that census?

Senator JOHNSON. We will pass that. That is Doctor Hill's favorite.

The CHAIRMAN. So that if the bill provides for the taking of the census the 1st of November, you contemplate that census would be completed by the last of November?

Mr. STEUART. Yes; and I think the totals of most of the sections will be made public by that time, because we are arranging this time for a supervisor in every district to announce the population in each of the minor civil divisions of his district as soon as the enumerators finish their work in his district; to announce it before he approves the vouchers of the enumerators, before the enumerators are paid off, so that the Census Bureau will have some hold on those men, and to insure the performance, if there is any criticism of the work.

47180-29-3

Now, that all depends on this bill. I can not carry out that provision unless this bill is passed.

Senator JOHNSON. May I inquire concerning the appointments of supervisor? Are they appointed by zones or districts or States, or how, please?

The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Steuart, how are the supervisors determined and appointed?

Mr. STEUART. In all of the last three censuses the country has been divided into supervisor's districts that conformed very closely to the congressional districts, one supervisor being appointed for each congressional district. In carrying that into effect, no allowance could be made for the increase in population and a lot of the work that the supervisor would be expected to do in the time that population was enumerated. The result was that in the last census a great many supervisors had a great deal more work than they could do in the time, and therefore, in providing for this census, I have increased the number of supervisor's districts very greatly, 550 or 560 of them,. and we have grouped those counties in those supervisor's districts to conform as closely as possible to the congressional districts. some congressional districts we have got to have more than one supervisor.

In

Senator JOHNSON. That is why I inquired. Have you made any definite mode of employment?

Mr. STEUART. Yes; and I am sending now to the Senators maps. outlining each State with the supervisor districts, with the counties, and giving them an estimate on that map.

Senator JOHNSON. On those maps do you designate the number of supervisors in the particular zones that they have jurisdiction over? Mr. STEUART. Yes.

Senator JOHNSON. The reason I asked you that is because in one district in Los Angeles County there are more votes polled than in the State of Alabama.

Mr. STEUART. Yes; for that reason there must be more than one supervisor there. I think there are four or five supervisor's districts in Los Angeles County. In New York City, in Greater New York, there are 14. Last time, there were only four; and I knew that it was not enumerated right.

Senator VANDENBERG. In regard to the question of the phraseology of an amendment to make section 2 conform to the expected reapportionment which this legislation presents, I would like to enter a motion for his subsequent consideration:

To amend section 2, page 2, in line 7, by adding these words-and these words are suggested by Doctor Hill:

Except that the tabulation of total population by States as required for the apportionment of Representatives shall be completed within 15 months, and reported by the Director of the Census to the Secretary of Commerce, and by him to the President of the United States.

I simply want to enter that for the record at the present time.
Mr. STEUART. Would 15 months be quick enough?

Senator VANDENBERG. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. Will there be any objection on the part of the committee to meeting at 2 o'clock or 2.30?

Senator RANSDELL. What persons will come under the temporary force?

Mr. STEUART. All of the employees in the District.

Senator RANSDELL. None others?

Mr. STEUART. Those outside are only to be employed for two weeks or three weeks or a month.

Senator RANSDELL. That applies to enumerators and supervisors? Mr. STEUART. Yes.

Senator VANDENBERG. Could you make this report earlier than 15 months?

Mr. STEUART. It will be 14 months to the 1st of December.
Senator VANDENBERG. Could you do it in 12 months?

Mr. STEUART. I think 12 months will be time enough for just the total, will it not, Doctor Hill?

Mr. HILL. I think we ought to be able to get the total population in 12 months.

Senator VANDENBERG. All right.

Senator TYSON. Has the census ever been taken before in an odd year like this, or has it waited until the 10-year period had expired? Mr. STEUART. I believe the census has always been started in an even year; but sometimes the enumeration was not finished for 16 months thereafter.

Senator TYSON. In other words, it was never started before the 10 years had expired.

Mr. STEUART. I do not think so. I think this will be the first time.

Senator FLETCHER. What force do you contemplate for an inspector, and what is he allowed?

Mr. STEUART. He will be responsible for the selection of his enumerators. There will be about one enumerator for every 2,000 of population, roughly speaking.

Senator FLETCHER. Will he have any force in addition to his assistant?

Mr. STEUART. Yes; he will be furnished his office room, and every one at least one chief assistant, and such clerical help as may be necessary. We are figuring out that clerical help now, basing it upon the districts, the number of population, and the number of

farms.

Senator FLETCHER. He selects the clerical help?

Mr. STEUART. Yes, sir.

Senator BURTON. Where is the law that gives you the authority to fix the supervisor's districts?

Mr. STEUART. That is in this new law.
Senator BURTON. Yes.

Mr. STEUART. This new law does not have a specific provision on that subject. That is at the discretion of the director; so that at subsequent censuses we will not be limited to 556 supervisor's districts, as this time, but they will be made to conform to conditions. Senator TYSON. You can appoint as many supervisors as you want to, under this bill?

Mr. STEUART. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. We expect that there will be here this afternoon the representatives of the Agricultural Department.

Mr. STEUART. At what time?

The CHAIRMAN. We will take a recess until 2 o'clock, if that is satisfactory.

(Thereupon, at 12 o'clock m., the committee took a recess until 2 o'clock p. m.)

AFTERNOON SESSION

The committee reconvened, pursuant to the taking of recess, at 2 o'clock p. m., Senator Wesley L. Jones presiding.

The CHAIRMAN. The committee will be in order. Mr. Hill, who represents the Agricultural Department?

Mr. OLSON. I am up here to represent the Agricultural Depart

ment.

The CHAIRMAN. We wish to hear from you with reference to the date for beginning the census.

STATEMENT OF MR. W. M. STEUART (Resumed)

Mr. STEUART. Mr. Chairman, there is still one question which was asked me this morning, that I was not then prepared to answer. That was about the date of the taking of the census. I have that, now. This in the House committee hearings at page 152.

From 1790 to 1820 the census was taken on the first Monday in August.

From 1830 down to and including 1900, it was on the first day of June.

In 1910 it was on April 15.

In 1920 it was on January 1.

Evidently, they were fishing around, trying to get a more satisfactory date on which to make the enumeration, trying to meet the conditions that had arisen since the preceding censuses.

The conditions existing now are different from what they were in 1910.

The CHAIRMAN. In what way?

Mr. STEUART. There are more people traveling around the country, and not at their usual places of abode, and we want to get the date on which most of them are at their usual places of abode.

The only excuse for changing the date of the census was to get a date on which a more correct enumeration could be made.

The CHAIRMAN. You say, though, that the primary purpose of it is the enumeration of the population?

Mr. STEUART. Yes, that is the primary purpose.

The CHAIRMAN. The other work has been expanding too, from census to census, has it not?

Mr. STEUART. Yes, sir. Agriculture was not taken at every census, and the schedule for agriculture has been gradually increasing at different censuses.

Senator VANDENBERG. I would like to ask Dr. Steuart one or two questions.

The CHAIRMAN. Yes.

Senator VANDENBERG. I am very much interested in the discussion in the District of Columbia as to the so-called disenfranchisement of the electorate. Have there ever been any figures taken to show how many residents of the District of Columbia maintain their legal voting rights, and how many are actual residents of the District of Columbia? Mr. STEUART. I think not, sir.

Senator VANDENBERG. An inquiry of that sort could not be made in connection with the taking of the census, except by warrant of law? Mr. STEUART. Yes; it could be made with this new law here; it is within the discretion of the director as to what questions should go on the schedule.

Senator VANDENBERG. In that event, if the director could be persuaded that there was a utility in that schedule, it could be unders taken and finished?

Mr. STEUART. Yes.

Senator VANDENBERG. And that would not be seriously called an expensive thing to do in the District, would it?

Mr. STEUART. No, sir; I think not.

Senator VANDENBERG. Mr. Chairman, I suppose Doctor Steuart will not be back to testify in connection with the reapportionment bill?

The CHAIRMAN. If he desires to do so, he may be.

Senator VANDENBERG. I want to ask him one or two questions. Mr. STEUART. If you do not object, Senator, I intended to stay here and hear most of the hearings about this reapportionment.

Senator VANDENBERG. We hope there will not be any hearings on the subject, so that I just want to ask you one question in regard to that. Is it not a fact that the advisory committee of the census met in Washington on Saturday last and unanimously recommended the formula which is included in the legislation submitted to them and to the Congress?

Mr. STEUART. Yes, sir.

Senator BURTON. What is that formula; more than one-half the extra number, or what?

Senator VANDENBERG. I think we can explain that later.
Senator BURTON. It takes some time to explain it, does it?
Senator VANDENBERG. I wanted to register that fact.

Senator TYSON. It has been represented to me that the taking of the census as late as November has a very bad effect on getting the actual population that is on the farms. It is claimed to me by Members of the House that that was one of the reasons why the House wanted it made as of May 1, because it came as near as possible getting the actual distribution of the population as the people lived at that time.

Mr. STEUART. Senator, they have agricultural men here, and I think they are better qualified to answer that question than I am. Senator TYSON. Very well; I will ask them.

The CHAIRMAN. Now, Mr. Olsen, we will hear you.

STATEMENT OF NILS A. OLSEN, CHIEF OF THE BUREAU OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS

The CHAIRMAN. I do not think, Mr. Olsen, that you need give all the testimony that you did before the House committee, but we would like to have stated in a general and concise way the reasons for the attitude of the Agricultural Department, which I understand is strongly in favor of November 1 as the date for taking the census. Mr. OLSEN. Mr. Chairman and Senators, I believe the Secretary of Agriculture received an invitation to appear before this committee, but in view of his occupancy with other matters, he asked if I could