The Daily News. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1901. NUMBERING THE PEOPLE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXIII, Issue 28, 5 February 1901, Page 2

The Daily News. TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 1901. NUMBERING THE PEOPLE.

In connection with the census to b< taken this year Mr. E. J. Von Dadels zen, the Registrar-General, has isauei a circular from which we gathei several items of general interest. Th< Census of New Zealand will be takei for the night of Sunday, the 31a' March. The colony has been dividec into forty-two Enumerators' District* each consisting of a group of contiguous counties with their interior boroughs The Enumerators have divided tbeii districts into subdistricts, for eich o: which a Sub-enumerator has been or ii to be selected to distribute and colled the Household Schedules. There wil! be about eight hundred and fifty Sub enumerators altogether. Each nub enumerator will bo provided with i map of his district, coloured to show al existing territorial divisions, such at electoral districts, counties, ridings, road and town distriots, besides boroughs; and the populations of al these will be ascertained. The areas ol the Bub-enumerators' districts will alsc be marked off on the maps into small blocks, and the population of these given by the Sub-enumerators, for the purpose of defining new electoral districts for the appointment of the European representation of the people in Parliament. The particulars required by the Act respecting the people include—name, sax, age, married or single, birthplace, length bf residence in colony, religion, occupation, education, whether British subject or alien, if suffering from sickness, accident, or infirmity, The dwellings are also to bs described in respect of rooms and material. The form of the Household Schedule was agreed to at the Coniferance of Australasian statisicians held at Sydney in February last. Besides (he information as to the population, special returns will be collected relating to all industries, manufactories, or works in the eolony, giving particulars is to hands and power employed, value >f materials operated on, produce or manufacture, value of land and buildDg», machinery, and plant. Further, returns of places of worship, land and milding societies, literary and scientific natitutione, <fcc,, will also be colected by Enumerators from infornation supplied by Sob-enumerators. The proposal to take a Census of Engand in 1753 waß oppoied as one " subversive of liberty," and having in view ' an engine of rapacity and eppression." The chief opponent stated in the House if Commons that " he had not believed my men weuldhavs been so presumpttous and abandoned as to make such a iroposal." It was said that an account f the number of the people would cquaint our enemies with the weak.eiß of England, In another quarter t was represented that "the people ooked on the proposal as ominouß, and eared lest some pablio misfortune or ipidemio disorders Bbonld follow the lumbering." Now that prejudice is ilinost entirely removed, the intelligent :a-eperatioa oF every occupier or person n charge of a dwelling-house is iftrnestly desired to help in bringing to i success the Oensiiß work by carefully illing up the Schedule. There i», in-| leed, a penalty of £2O for " wilfully ■efufing or neglecting to fill up, sign, ind dfliver the form, or to answer the it ceseary inquiries which the Enumeraorsaud Sub-enumeratorsareautborised md required >o make, or for furnishng fake returns or answers, or for ibstructing any person in the perform- j .nco of any duty imposed on him by he Census Act." But it is hoped that j )roceedings at law will be found unleceorary, or, at any rate, only needed n most exceptional cases. It must,' lowever, be remembered that Subinumerators have defined powers, >f demanding the Sohedules, and )f asking questions of occupiers of lousßH to obtain complete returns., The information given in the Schedule; vill only bo used for tbe compilation >f statist cal returns. Any person j livulging or making use of it fori mother purpose is liable to a heavy '. waalty. The Census has been called j he great moisuricg-rod of a country's guiding ua in determining '< {rowing tendencies, and enabling us to nake intelligent provision for checkingi ■he evil and fostering the good. " The] 'ital, material, and social well-being of ( . nation depends in a larger degree! hati is ordinarily realised upon tkef ,c(s«;ffLC7 of it's concerning'

tbe number, chnracter, and condition of its people. It is the great object of a Census to gabber such information as will be of service in throwing light upon the moro important social and [e(oaoo) ; c question ef the d»y,"