THE YEARBOOK

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8339, 27 January 1913, Page 6

THE YEARBOOK

The Official Yearbook for 1912 has made its appearance. There is a special interest in this volume, since it is the twenty-first issue. The coming of ago of this very useful work of referenceprompts us to take from the shelf tinYearbook (or Handbook, as it was then called) of 1892, the first issue of this unnuary. It was prepared by direction of the Hon. John Ballunce, thou Premier, that splendid exponent of democratic sentiment having thoroughly recognised the value of publishing facts. There is no doubt that the arrangement of statistical and other data on national affairs is of the highest importance. In this connection we should prefer to see our Yearbook have a much wider circulation, and would welcome evideuco now gather difficult to fina that its contents aro sufficiently studied by members of the Legislature. With the progress of the country, the Official Yearbook has grown in its twenty-one years of existence from 338 to 957 pages. The general style has been fairly well maintained, but additional facts and fresh special articles have been included from time to time, until the book has become one of great usefulness. Very appropriately, the latest number opens with a fn 11-page coloured illustration of the armorial bearings of the Dominion. The list of contents is arranged with more attention to detail than formerly, enabling the reader to quickly ascertain facts regarding separate phases of many subjects. The results of the last general ©lection and of the important poll taken at the same time on the question of national prohibition are given fully iu the 1912 Yearbook, these events having occurred too late iu 1911 for inclusion in that year’s issue. Other special features are the latest available particulars concerning the military forces of the Dominion, and a useful summary of the legislation passed in the last session of Parliament. Mr M. Fraser, the Government Statistician, who is responsible for the production, is to bo complimented. The issue is just a little better than its predecessors, which is as it should be.