THE WAR CENSUS

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2605, 29 October 1915, Page 6

THE WAR CENSUS

HOW THE WORK PROGRESSES. Up till yesterday afternoon the Government Statistician had received somo 7000 registration cards, and tho staff was busily engaged in dealing -with them. This is a comparatively inconsiderable portion of the total number of cards expected. It is estimated that tho male population of New Zealand between the ages of 17 and 60 years is. about 300,000, but it may be as much as 25,000 above or below tliis number. When more cards are received, as they ■will bo in a day or two, the staff will be increased as the needs arise, to about 30 or 40. Special file cupboards or drawers, rows and rows of them, have been erected for the register, and in these drawers -the cards -will be sorted and indexed.

The Registrar urges again that men who receive cards should answer tho questions as required, and refrain from adding "tags." Some men who have enlisted havo not filled in the schedules, but havo simply written over the face of them, "Going into camp." These men are directed to procure for themselves at once other cards, and to fill them in fully.

There seems to be some misunderstanding also as to tlie liability a man takes upon himself by declaring that he is willing to serve in any civil capacity. If a man answers "Yes" to the question bearing on this point, he binds himself to nothing. He gives a promise merely to undertake work other than that on which he regularly earns his livelihood, if it is in the interests of the State that this other work should be done. If the Government should ask a man to do work for which he did not consider himself fit, lie could still refuse to accept the new work, even if ho had answered "Yes." The Government merely expect that the man who gives the answer "Yes" will be ready to make any reasonable sacrifice to rodcem his promise if the occasion should require it. Tho Prime Minister, referring to this point yesterday, said that if men were called upon to render _ service to the country in a civil capacity the payment' would be reasonably commensurate with the service.