The Year Book.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17125, 21 April 1921, Page 6

The Year Book.

The New Zealand Official Year Book, just to hand, makes its belated appearance in a form so attenuated as to he almost unrecognisable. Last year's issue contained 958 pages, this year's has but 414, this reduction in yize being attributed, in the preface, to "tho " prevailing paper shortage," and to " the late availability of much of the " material included in the volume." We must confess that we are not greatly impressed with the validity of either of these excuses. There is certainly a paper shortage, but it is not so severe that the Government could not, if it had chosen, have secured enough paper, in the fifteen months since the last volume made its appearance, to produce a Year Book of normal size. As to the late date at which much of the material became available, we may point out that the 1919 volume of nearly 1000 pages, was issued at the end of January; the 1920 volume, of less than 500 page 9, nominally, at the end of February. If the reduction in size is the result of the Government's desire for economy, there is much to be said for it, but we doubt whether in this case the best interests of the Dominion aro served by the issue of a Year Book which is shorn of a good deal of the information that in the past' has made it useful. As tho Government ' Statistician, who is responsible for the production of the book, admits, in all cases the matter'contained in it has been treated with the utmost brevity, and other portions have had to be entirely omitted. The pruning process has been carried out on the whole with considerable success, though one ia tempted to ask why, if it was necessary to omit the description of New Zealand given in previous volumes, it should have been thought necessary to reprint the descriptions, with particulars of their discovery, of tho various islands of the Cook group, especially a$ the information previously supplied as to the leasing of land in the islands, which might have been useful to possible settlers, is not given this year. There are indications here and there of careless sub-editing, which detracts in some measure from the value of the Year Book as a veracious official record. On the other hand, to show that our criticism is not wholly in the direction of faultfinding, we welcomo the expansion of the section devoted to hydroelectric power in New Zealand, a subject of outstanding importance. It will surprise most people to learn from the statistics in this section that there was a thousand horse-power less in use on March 31st last year than on the same date in 1919, and that practically the whole of the loss occurred in Canterbury. The details supplied of the great undeveloped water-power in the Dominion indicate the immense possibilities that lie in its utilisation. Of general interest, also, arc the particulars now given authoritatively for .'he nrst time of New Zealand's war effort as Tegards the despatch of troops and the consequent expenditure. It forms a record of whirfi tho couutry may well be proud. With regard to a large number of the statistics furnished in the "Year Book," one's complaint is that they are a long way from being up to date, and that they deal with irregular periods. In a large number of instances they deal with tlhe calendar year ending December 31st, 1919, in others with the financial year ending March 31st, 1920, while in one case at least that we noticed, the period covered! ended last June. "We have thus the Year Book for 1920 issued in April, 1921, and dealing largely wiilii conditions in 1919. It is true that for more recent statistics the preface refers the reader to tho "Monthly Abstracts, ' and the annual volumes of 'Statistics of New Zealand," but while these sources of information lie at the elbow of every newspaper writer and politician, they

are not easily available to members of the general public, and still less so to persons in other countries seeking the latest information about Xew Zealand. This, we submit, should be available in the Year Book, and it could be if the publication of the volume were postponed until the middle of the year, by which time it should be possible to give not merely the complete records for tie previous year, but those for tha financial year ending in March. If the Year Book were published by a private firm with any enterprise, it would make it its business to see that it wr.s as up to date as possible, and there is no reason why the public should be fobbed off with ancient statistics jus: because the Year Book is issued from a Government department.