THE CENSUS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17283, 26 September 1916, Page 10

THE CENSUS.

QUINQUENNIAL COUNT. TO BE TAKEN ON OCTOBER 15. POSTAL DEPARTMENT'S WORK. In these days the Postal Department is rapidly attaining the character of "handy man"' in Government work. Officers of the Department were charged with tho compilation of the National Register, and they are now to be used in the taking of the census. Sunday, October 10, is the date fixed for the enumeration. The work of extracting information from the schedules will, an usual, be undertaken by the Government Statistician, but the distribution and collection of the schedules is in the hands of the Postal Department, which is, without ' doubt, specially equipped to cany out this task efficiently and at the smallest possible cost. Some particulars of the work to bo done havo been supplied to the Press by the Hon G. W. Russell, Minister for Internal Affairs. DOMINION DIVISIONS. The Dominion lias been divided into ninety-four census districts, each containing one or more counties '.with interior boroughs, and in charge of an enumerator who is a responsible officer of che Postal Department. In tho subdistricts—some 1006—-the collection and distribution of schedules will be done wherever possible by postal officers familiar with the areas. Some 350,000 household schedules will be distributed, in addition to personal schedules for hotels, boarding-houses, ships, etc. These are designed to avoid passing the household schedule from hand to hand. A covering schedule, provided by the hotel proprietor or other Lead of the establishment, will ensure that a personal scnodule is attached tor each inuuv-.e of the house on census night.

FOR MEN IN CAMP. Another personal schedule, the filling in of which will be supervised by the Defence Department, is for the use or inmates of military and internment camps. 'On this the address prior to enlistment will be given, so that members of the reinforcements in camp may be'allocated to their proper districts, it will be impossible to obtain similar particulars of the men now overseas, but the Defence Department will furnish a statement showing the actual particulars On census night. Samoa wilLbc dealt' with on the same lines as the occasion a. separate Maori census is, being taken by the native Department for the North Island only. South Island Natives will be covered in the ordinary census. Special arrangements have also been made to cover the Cook and other islands.

WORK IN WELLINGTON. The Wellington census district is under the care of Mr N. R. M Isaac, of the Chief Post Office. It includes the Hutt and Makara counties with the interior boroughs, city ot Wellington,Onslow, Miramar, Eastbourne, Ivarori, Hutt and Petono.' Approximately 21000 household schedules, now contained in packing eases, in the basement of the Post Office will be tdistm buted in thirty-one sub-districts 6f this area. To avoid possible loss of schedules, the distribution will be commenced as late as possible, on October 9 but as tho sub-enumerators are mostly'picked men from the letter-car-rving staff, they will be able to cover the ground quickly and yet avoid omissions. Wherever there is a letter delivery, postal men are being used, but in the counties and widely scattered-areas men of long standing and local knowledge aro being engaged. Altogether twenty-one postal officials will be engaged in this work, with ten outsiders. The sub-districts have been arranged in workable areas, considering both the density of population j and the. ground to be covered. ■ ... . •■■

ELECTORAL SUBDIVISIONS. Roughly, each sub-enumerator In an urban district has 900 houses to deal with. Already many thousands of the schedules are ready for distribution. Their preparation is no light . since each has to be filled in with the county or borough, the enumerators number, sub-enumerator s number and the small block or mesh letter. This small block or mesh division of sub-dis-tricts is for the convenience ot the Electoral Commissioners when they como to adjust the boundaries of electorates. Its. method is best explained by reference to the maps supplied by the Survey Department for sub-enumerators. Each map shows clearly boundaries of the sub-area and is further divided into blocks lettered A, B C, D, and so om Should the Electoral'Commissioners find that an electoral district is now. too large, haying regard to its population, they can simply lift out a mesh or block (the population of which is given) and transfer the people in that block to the adjoining electorate. By the use of this system the electoral districts of 'Wellington have been kept remarkably even in the matter of population. The system is as simple as a child's gamo with blocks.

-COUNTING AND CHECKLNG. Compilation of all the interesting returns and comparisons' of religions, occupations, etc., is undertaken by the Statistician's Department, but the simple counting of heads is entrusted to the sub-enumerators. Each man, v/hcn he ' has gathered in all his schedules, prepares a tally of population under certain heads and of houses, inhabited, uninhabited, and in course of construction. This is checked by the enumerator, who completes the tally for the district. The Statistician therefore will .have only to add the enumerator's figures (if he does not wish to check them first), and he will be in a position to announce the population of the Dominon. INFORMATION. REQUIRED. The household schedule is mainly on the lines of that issued for last census. One of the main points of difference is in regard to nationality, concerning which specifio information is required. In regard to profession or occupation the precise nature of the employment and rffi extent, with a note as to periods of unemployment, is required. As on previous occasions, a census is being taken of places of worship, and of libraries (number and classification of books). Agricultural and pastoral statistics are taken in the counties each year, but the consus is being used to obtain this information for the boroughs also.