COMING CENSUS

Hokitika Guardian, 16 January 1926, Page 3

COMING CENSUS

ENUMERATIONS OF THE PAST AUCKLAND. January 1 I. Householders throughout New Zealand will have a spacious task to perform in a few months’ time, the filling in of the census paper. Just when the next census will be taken lias not been announced, but- as the last one was in 1921 and the law requires an enumeration .every five years the work must be carried out again in 1926. The quinquennial period was chosen in 1881 as a convenient one, being hall of a decade. and since that year it has been ■tdchcrcd to. II was adopted some vears ago by the British Empire Statistical Conference ami in 1921 censuses were taken within a few months of each other by the Governments of all the principal British countries. In the compilation of statistics within and without the scope ol the census New Zealand has a very good record. “ In the first place.” says the Official Year Book. “ the comparative shortness of the interval between census enumerations mitigates the danger of serious interccnsal error. Secondly, owing to the high standard ol intelligence of the population and to the political, social and geographical conditions prevailing. Dominion data coinoiled as a result of the census are both remarkably free front error and unusually complete." The history of the census in New Zealand dates back In the days before responsible government was established ; indeed, some crude form of censustaking appears lo have been brought into operation in the early lorties, shortly after the proclamation of British sovereignty over the islands ol New Zealand. -Manuscript records of the population of the different settlements wort* compiled by resident nm^istrotos from 1842 to 18-V2. The returns, liovever, were far from adequate, because the settlements were few in number and limited in area, and settlers, whalers and other persons living in remoteplaces were not enumerated. Various difficulties also occurred. For example, the population of Nelson in 1842 was estimated at 2500. with a footnote stating that the actual figures were unobtainable as the resident magistrate had been killed by Maoris, doubtless in the Wairau massacre.

What is usually regarded as the first general census of New Zealand was made in Deeemlier, 1851, being the first taken by law. This was more comprehensive than the earlier enumerations, which contained only the number of persons, male and female separately, in each settlement. Particulars of sex, age and degree of education of each person are now required, with information concerning numbers of scholars at day and Sabbath schools, Particulars of live stock and crops were also obtained. The population, according to this census, was 2(5,70..

In conformity with the ordinance of 1851 censuses should have been taken in 1854 and 1857. Responsibility for carrying out the work rested on the Provincial Councils, which had been ■onstituted in 1853, and for some unexplained reason all of them did not amply with the law. Provincial enumerations were made in Auckland. ’Wellington, Canterbury, Nelson, Taranaki mil Otago at. various dates, but no return lor the whole colony could be ■ompiled. In 1858 the procedure was

out upon a new footing by the passing if n Census Act, which contemplated riennial censuses, the first of which vas taken in the same year. Others Allowed in ISO 1, 1304. 1807. 1871 and !874. in 1877 a new Act was passed, •apealing that of 1858 and its aniendnents, and providing for censuses in 'B7B and 1881 and every fifth year hereafter. After 1858 the scope of the census vas gradually extended and the procedure in enumeration was improved in arious ways. The most important hange was made in 1910. when the 'enstis and Statistics Act separated he offices of Registrar-General and Government Statistician and enabled ho Census and Statistics Office to be -et up.