A NEW CENSUS.
The Federal authorities are completing arrangements for the fifteenth decennial census of the United States, due to be taken this year. The work involves an immense amount of organization and the results promise to be significant for several reasons. Politically, the new statistics of population —they will probably show an increase of some sixteen millions, to a total of about 122,000,000 persons, since the 1920 census —will be important as the basis for reapportionment of repre- sentation in Congress. This is likely to give the towns and cities more, and the rural areas foyer, representatives than they have now in the House. The change may affect party align- ments and, in particular, have some bearing on the Prohibition issue by reducing the number of " dry " representatives, since their chief strength comes from the country rather than from the cosmopolitan populations of the cities. In addition, the census is designed—by President Hoover's direction—to provide much data of value to commerce and industry and also for the *study of such social problems as unemployment, illiteracy and child welfare. For the first time a complete census of the methods and agencies of distribution is to be made. A Committee appointed by Mr. Hoover,' when he was Secretary of Commerce, estimated that something like 88,000,000,000 annually is wasted in the United States in the Passage of goods from producer to consumer.
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