THE WAR CENSUS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2603, 27 October 1915, Page 6

THE WAR CENSUS

NATIONAL REGISTRATION BEGINS DISTRIBUTION OF CARDS "Are tliei'o any men here between the ages of 17 and 60?" —This question was asked at. bouses in Wellington yesterday by postmen of whoever answered their knock. According >to replies received, tlioy left registration cards — one, two, three, or several—to be filled in by tbo men of the prescribed age, who are deemed, some at once and some in extremity, to be capable of service iii the Empire's lighting forces. These cards, with addressed envelopes in which they should bo enclosed, will bo collected later by postmen, out those who wish to do so may drop the letter into tho nearest pillar box or post office, without affixing a stamp. Indeed, if it should happen that the collecting postman should miss a house, tho onus is still upon the man who fills in a card to see that it is posted or otherwise delivered to tho Government Statistician. Also, it may have happened that the member of the household answering the postman's jtnock gave a wrong reply, through want of thought, misApprehen6ion,_ or a foolish desiro to mislead, causing the postman to leave either no cards at all or less cards than there were men in the house of registration age. It should be clearly understood that this mistake or deceit excuses no one. The onus is still on the man to procure for himself from any post oflico a card, to fill it in correctly, and to forward it to the registering officer, the Government Statistician. Every man who fails to do this commits an offence. Perhaps a Magistrate might consider extenuating circumstances in mitigation of the .penalty, but tho offence is defined' by regulation under the Act. To direct the attention of men to their obligations, posters, printed in black and red lettering, were exhibited all .over the Cit.v yesterday. These posters give directions as to the filling in of tho cards and returning them before November 9 next. The poster exhorts men to fill in the forms distributed with all possible dispatch, thereby facilitating the rapidity of the preparation of'tho war census, in order that New Zealand may as speedily as possible bo able to assess the maximum of aid sho may render to tho Motherland. Directions as to how to answer any question which puts anybody in perplexity is available at post offices, State tourist agencies, and offices of Registrars of Births, etc., which will bo open till 9 o'clock every night till November 9. No very large number of schedules had been returned to tho RegistrarGeneral yesterday afternoon.