The Social Survey (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1916. Excerpt: ... APPENDIX Sources Of Information. A large share of the labor connected with the gathering and organizing of the material of a social survey depends upon the ability of the workers to find the most reliable, the most comprehensive and the most accessible sources of information. The main types of information aside from the direct individual investigation of specific conditions, may be divided into groups as follows: Statistical Data, Legal Provisions, Application of the Law by enforcing bodies, Finances and Methods of Administration and comparative data relating to other communities. A. Statistical Data. Statistical data may be secured from official and unofficial sources. The main official sources are as follows: a. State and Federal census, taken every ten years and alternating each other by five years. Many States take a census. b. For records concerning births, marriages, deaths etc., the reports of the Health Department should furnish information. The Bureau of the Census also publishes the figures concerning the deaths and causes of deaths in the United States, at least for the States in which the registration of deaths is required. These are valuable for the purposes of comparing local conditions with conditions elsewhere. c. The court records, the records and reports of prisons, the reports of the State Board of Charities, and the reports of special commissions for dealing with 14 209 crime, are the best sources for statistics on crime. The Federal Census publishes the statistics on crime every ten years and they are particularly valuable for purposes of comparison. d. For industrial statistics use the Federal Census, the report of the Factory Inspector, the Commissioner of Labor, the State Census and the reports of various bodies dealing officially ...