QUINQUENNIAL SURVEY OF MANUFACTURES Mr. PRESTON. I would like to commend you, Mr. Hauser, for your solution of the quinquennial problem. I think that is the sensible way to do this job, and it should result in a tremendous saving of $10,000,000 for us. I think that is fine. Mr. HAUSER. Thank you, sir. That is what we had in mind, to serve business at a minimum cost. Mr. PRESTON. I think the program you have of selective sampling will work out very well indeed and ultimately result in a considerable saving if it is worked pretty generally throughout your program. Mr. ROONEY. Are you really working hard down there in the Census Bureau these days? Mr. HAUSER. If there is anybody in the Bureau who is not like a one-armed paperhanger, I do not know about it. Mr. ROONEY. I must say that I have telephoned down there quite late and Mr. Phillips was on the job far later than usual closing hours; I must say that. CONSOLIDATION OF VARIOUS CENSUSES Mr. STEFAN. Was there any effort made to make this agricultural census along with the decennial census? Mr. HAUSER. That is the way the law now reads, Mr. Congressman; and we take them simultaneously. Mr. STEFAN. When you take this Seventeenth Decennial Census you take the agricultural census at the same time? Mr. HAUSER. That is right. The same enumerator asks questions about people, housing, and farms. Only in rural areas does he have the farm schedule. Mr. STEFAN. Those are taken simultaneously. Otherwise, it would cost a lot more money; would it not? Mr. HAUSER. That is right, sir. CENSUS OF RELIGIOUS ORGANIZATIONS Mr. STEFAN. Do you have more requests for that religious census? Mr. HAUSER. Yes; I have had two or three communications in the course of the last 3 or 4 months from the National Association of Statisticians of Religious Bodies in the United States. The last one indicates that they hope that the Bureau of the Census will do everything it can to make certain that appropriations will be forthcoming for the next census of religious bodies, which under the law is called for in 1956, to insure the completion of that census. As you know, the one for 1946 was never completed because we did not get an appropriation for the purpose. Mr. STEFAN. I have had several letters. I had a meeting here with the Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish leaders who had that particular program in mind. They are wondering whether we are going into the religious census and they favor it. I am wondering what you are going to do about it. Mr. HAUSER. It is my intention, Mr. Congressman, in accordance with the resolution which these people made and passed, it is my intention to write them a letter assuring them the Bureau of the Census is willing to do everything it can to make sure of the success of the next census of religious bodies. I am sure if I do not get to the letter in time to do it, my successor will answer in the same vein, REDUCTION IN COST FOR SURVEY OF MANUFACTURES Mr. STEFAN. What is this item where we are saving $10,000,000? Mr. HAUSER. I refer to the annual survey of manufactures and the shift of the biennial census to a quinquennial basis. Mr. STEFAN. Instead of taking them every 2 years, you are taking them every 5 years? Mr. HAUSER. That is right, sir. Mr. STEFAN. Do you recall that that was the recommendation of this committee? Mr. HAUSER. Yes, sir. The legislation originated in what was the old Census Committee, I believe, before the reorganization of the committees. This appropriation subcommittee and the Census Committee and this bureau all were for that program. Mr. STEFAN. I recall when Mr. Capt came before us. Members of this committee recommended that that be taken every 5 years instead of every 2 or 3 years and perhaps that would effect some savings. So you indicate here we are showing a saving here of $10,000,000? Mr. HAUSER. That is right. We would be showing a saving of 10 million dollars, assuming we get the annual survey for which we are requesting $200,000 this year; and if we did that in 8 years of the 10 years, at a cost of 1.6 million dollars, you see, plus the 8 million dollars for two complete censuses when they are taken every 5 years, that total is about 10 million dollars as compared with the biennial census, which would cost 20 million dollars in the course of a decade. Mr. STEFAN. I merely wanted the record to show, Doctor, that the membership of this committee scrutinizes these appropriations very carefully and that was one which reflected a savings to the taxpayers of the United States. I would like to have credit go where it is due, including to the late Mr. Capt, to whose memory I want to pay a tribute for long and faithful service to the United States Government. I happened to be a member of this committee over a period of years. He appeared before our committee time and time again. I think he was one of the most faithful servants the United States Government ever had, and it is to his memory that I want to pay this tribute, especially for the service that he rendered to our country. Mr. ROONEY. I must say that all of the members of the committee join in that tribute. Mr. HAUSER. Speaking for the entire staff of the Census Bureau, we would certainly say, amen. CENSUS QUESTIONS ON PERSONAL INCOME Mr. STEFAN. Mr. Chairman, you went into the question of income statistics at some length. Mr. Hauser has explained it in some manner, although not entirely to my satisfaction. The people in my district who have been reading these newspaper articles naturally feel that the enumerators are coming out to each home and will say, "Mr. Smith, how much money do you make," and that he will have to divulge all of his private income and that information will be scattered and broadcast around the community, much to his embarrassment and the embarrassment of his family. You indicated there was a large number of newspapers, some who have written editorials opposing this income-tax statistics work on the part of the Bureau of Census. You read the names of those who approved it and wanted it. Now would you say this census is going to embarrass people by asking them how much money they have in the bank, how much money they make, where it came from, and that we are going to start out on a mission of snooping into the people's private affairs? What is your general belief? There is the belief that has been put out in my district. STATUTORY ASPECTS Mr. HAUSER. Mr. Congressman, I should like to speak quite fully in answer to your question. First, I should like to point out that under the law, the same law, the Fifteenth Decennial Census Act, which makes it mandatory for all persons to answer census questions, under penalty of law administered through the courts, the most severe penalty provided in that act is for any census employee who should divulge any information whatsoever about any individual. Any census employee that divulges information about an individual is subject to a penalty of $1,000 or 2 years in jail or both, at the discretion of the court. PROVISION MADE TO PERMIT ANSWERS BY MAIL Second, to any constituent who should raise a question with you, who asks if he has to give the information to some local enumerator who might embarrass him, or whose relationship to him is such that he would prefer not to give him information about his personal income Mr. STEFAN (interposing). That is just the question I have already been asked: "My neighbor, John Brown, has applied for a job as census enumerator and he belongs to the Democratic Party which controls the appointment of these enumerators. I am a Republican. Do I have to tell John Brown all my business? He hates me, perhaps; he will tell everybody all about my business." Mr. HAUSER. We have anticipated that question and we are certainly not interested in snooping into the private affairs of the American people or embarrassing anybody. You can tell your constituent that he can get a special form-which he can fill out in the privacy of his own home, seal, drop in a mail box-addressed to the Director of the Census, and thus provide that information directly to Washington without it going through the hands of anybody in the local community. He has another alternative. If he does not want to give it to the enumerator, he can give it to the local supervisor. Mr. STEFAN. It may be the same between the supervisor and him. They all know each other out in that part of the country. Mr. HAUSER. Then he can send it to Washington and does not have to tell them locally what his income is. Mr. STEFAN. In other words, Dr. Hauser, we are taking an income. statistics census. We are not asking all of the people. One in every five will be asked something about income. If they fear that the information they are going to give will be read by a representative of the Census Bureau who comes to their house or place of business, if they feel that information will be divulged to somebody or used by him to his own advantage, he has the alternative in saying to that enumerator, "Give me that questionnaire and I will report to Washington myself without your having to know anything about my financial business." Mr. HAUSER. That is right. Mr. STEFAN. When that comes to Washington that information is secret and is coordinated with hundreds of thousands of financial returns for the purpose of finding out what our economic problems are. Is that it? Mr. HAUSER. That is correct, sir. EXPRESS PROHIBITIONS AGAINST RELEASE OF CENSUS DATA Mr. STEFAN. And no one, so far as you know, can divulge that information about the individual's financial status without having to pay a penalty should he be found guilty of divulging that information and that includes all the employees of the Department of Commerce or anybody else who has anything to do with the census or any other census? Mr. HAUSER. That is correct, sir. The law expressly prohibits the information the Bureau receives being used for any purpose but statistical purposes. QUESTIONS TO BE ASKED Mr. STEFAN. What questions on income are you asking? Mr. ROONEY. Suppose we insert at this point the list of questions as it was entered in the record last year, and now refer particularly to Mr. Stefan's question. Mr. STEFAN. Leave that question there about money, specifically. Put that in there and then put the rest in the record. Mr. HAUSER. All right, sir. Mr. STEFAN. Make that separate and the other one separate. Mr. HAUSER. Do you want me to read them here now or just put them in the record? Mr. STEFAN. I think the members would like to hear them right now, on the income question. (The entire list of questions referred to is as follows:) 1. Name of street, avenue, or road 2. House number (in cities and towns) 3. Serial number of dwelling unit in order of visitation 4. Farm residence 5. If not farm, does place have 3 acres or more? 6. Agriculture schedule number (Except members of the armed forces and inmates of institutions) 15. Activity during most of last week 16. Did this person work last week? 17. If not, did person look for work? 18. If not, did person have a job or business? 19. Hours of work last week 20. Occupation, industry, and class of worker SAMPLE INFORMATION (For all ages) 21. Living in this same house a year ago? 22. If not, living on a farm a year ago? 23. If not, living in the same county a year ago? 26. Highest grade of school attended 27. Did he finish this grade? 28. School enrollment SAMPLE INFORMATION (For persons 14 years of age and over) 29. Weeks looking for work 30. Weeks worked last year 31. Individual wages and income last year 32. Family wages and income last year 33. Veteran status 34. Occupation, industry, and class of worker last year 35. Times married 36. Years in present marital status 37. Number of children ever born |