Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 1906. THE CENSUS.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3640, 19 April 1906, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 1906. THE CENSUS.

We are indebted to Mr Osboldstone, district sub-enumerator, for a schedule containing particulars regarding the census to be taken on Sunday, 29th inst. It contains the following, which should be of interest : —“ The colony has been divided into Enumerators’ Districts, each consisting of a group of contiguous counties with their interior boroughs. The enumerators have divided their districts into sub-districts, for each of which a Sub-enumerator has been or is :o be selected to distribute and collect the household schedules. There will be about 900 Subenumerators altogether. Each Sub-enumerator will be provided with a map of his district, coloured to show all existing territorial divisions, such as electoral districts, counties, ridings, road and town districts, besides boroughs ; and the populations of all these will be ascertained. The areas of the Sub-enumerators’ districts will also be marked off on the maps into small blocks, aud the population of these given by the Subenumerators, for the purpose of defining new electoral districts for the apportionment of the European representation of the people in Parliament. The particulars required by the Act respecting the people include—name, sex, age, married or single, birthplace, religion, occupation, education, whether British subject or alien, if suffering from sickness, accident or infirmity. The dwellings are also to be described in respect of rooms and material. Besides the information as to the population, special returns will be collected relating to all industries, manufactories, or works in the colony, giving particulars as to hands aud power employed, value of materials operated on t produce or manufacture, value of land and buildings, machinery, and plant. Further, returns of places of worship, literary and scientific institutions, &c., will also be collected by Enumerators from information supplied by Sub-Enumerators. The intelligent co-operation of every occupier or person in charge of a dwellinghouse is earnestly desired to help in making a a success of the Census-work by carefully filling up the schedule. There is, indeed, a penalty of twenty pounds Tor “ wilfully refusing or neglecting to till up, sign, and deliver the form, or to answer the necessary I inquiries which the Enumerators 1 and Sub-enumerators are authorised and required tc make, or for

furnishing false returns or answers, or for obstructing any person in the performance of any duty imposed on him by the Census Act.” But it is hoped that proceedings at law will be found unnecessary, or, at any rate, only needed in the most exceptional cases. It must, however, be remembered that Sub-enumerators have defined powers of demanding the schedules and of asking questions of occupiers of houses to obtain complete returns.”