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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4837, 22 September 1876, Page 2

Some ignorant writer or another last night considered that the omission from the volume of statistics, issued by the Registrar-General, of a table showing the population of each electoral district, and the proportion of electors to population is discreditable to the department. The writer in question should not use disparaging terms against any public officer or department without sufficient ground. The Registrar-General cannot furnish in the annual volume of statistics the table referred to. It was furnished in the last census volume, and cannot be furnished again until after the next census, and as the Census Bill of this session postpones the taking of another census until 1881, the gentleman who aired his language in ignorance of those facts will be under the necessity of waiting until after that date before he can be gratified with the sight of such a table. If such information could be given without a census, the periodical need of a census would not be so great. The population of the colony can be and is given as a whole with great correctness, the population of the provinces approximately; but as it is impossible to follow the immigrants to their ultimate destinations, and to form any idea of the changes of residence that are constantly taking place over the colony, it is manifestly impossible to give the population of small divisions, and undesirable to attempt it, as any figures given would necessarily be incorrect and misleading. ; . ■