POSTPONING CENSUS

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1014, 3 July 1930, Page 9

POSTPONING CENSUS

LABOUR MEMBER MAKES STRONG PROTEST SAVING £25,000 THIS YEAR | THE SEX'S Parliamentary Reporter WELLINOTON, Wednesday. For one year at least the census will be postponed if the Census Postponement Bill, read a first time in the House of Representatives this afternoon, is passed. This will mean that the Electoral Boundaries Commission, which sits in the same year as the census is taken, will not be sitting next year. i A\ hen the Bill was introduced by j the Minister of Internal Affairs, the j Hon. P. A. de la Ferrelle, Mr. J. Mcj Combs (Labour —Lyttelton) said that it was a mistake to do away with the census, for the statistics were of value not only to New Zealand and the British Empire, but also to the rest of the world. and their comparative effect would be los£ by postponement. This might be done for economy, but | it was a serious mistake, and would mean a break in records that we | should be proud to keep, i The Leader of the Opposition, the Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, asked if the | postponement would have any effect j on the usual sitting of the Electoral j Boundaries Commission, which met | every live years following on the j review of the population, j The Minister said that naturally I the Bill would affect the commission, j There was at present, however, a i drastic need for economy, and the postponement of the census woultf mean a saving of £25,000, which was a very big item in a year like the present Provision would be made in the Bill for the taking of a census at any time following on a proclamation. Mr. McCombs: Why not abolish the office altogether?

The Minister: There is no question of that whatever.