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New machine to speed up statistics of census of 1940. Washington, D.C., Dec. 2. Back in 1870, it took 7 years to compile statistics from the facts taken by census takers, but in the next 10 years, Herman Hollerith invented a 'unit tabulator,' shown on left of photo being operated by Operator Ann Oliver. This machine is fed cards containing census information at the rate of 400 a minute and from these, 12 separate bits of statistical information is extracted. Not so long ago, Eugene M. La Boiteaux, Census Bureau inventor, turned out a smaller, more compact machine, which extracts 58 statistics from 150 cards per minute. This machine is shown on the right and is being operated by Virginia Balinger, Assistant Supervisor of the current Inquiry Section. With the aid of this machine, statistical information from the 1940 census is expected to be compiled in 2 1/2 years. The secret of the machine lies in the cards. The written information taken by census takers is brought in and the data translated into code numbers which are punched on the card, and the legible data is locked up in vaults away from prying eyes. Cards are fed into the machine, sensitive steel fingers feel out the punches, set up electrical impulses, and in no time at all, the card has set down on the large sheet just what statistic from each individual goes in what place

New machine to speed up statistics of census of 1940. Washington, D.C....

Picryl description: Public domain image of a bureau, office furniture, desk, chair, free to use, no copyright restrictions.

Baltimore, MD. Statistical data of great value in the future will accumulate in the files of the Social Security Board Records Office. To provide easy means of developing and studying this information, without disturbing the permanent records, acturial cards are reproduced from the original employee master cards. The master card is a [...] salmon pink. The acturial card is a bright green. They are of different colors so they will not be mixed together inadvertently. The photograph above shows a reproducing machine making acturial cards from master cards. The punched master card is placed in one compartment. A blank acturial card is placed in another. When the master card has been automatically carried to the proper position it stops, momentarilly. Meanwhile the blank acturial card is carried to another place in the machine. Electrical impulses cause the machine to punch on the acturial card the same holes, in the same position, as on the master card. The two cards are held in place while the part of the machine holding the acturial card telegraphs back to the part holding the master card to see that the punches in each are identical. Then the cards are released, one is in one pile and the other in another. The whole operation requires a small fraction of a minute

Baltimore, MD. Statistical data of great value in the future will accu...

Public domain photograph of people in office, interior, the 1910s-1920s America, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Radio waves high flyers, Washington, D.C., Oct. 1. Experiments conducted by H.W. Wellex at the radio station of the Carnegie Institution have proven that radio waves travel a distance of 80 miles heavenword before they are reflected back to earth. Traveling like lightning as they ascend in to the ionosphere the radio impulses have to be measured in 10,000ths of second to accurately check the height reached before they return to the radio set

Radio waves high flyers, Washington, D.C., Oct. 1. Experiments conduct...

Public domain photograph of people in office, interior, the 1910s-1920s America, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description