NATIONAL REGISTER.

Taranaki Daily News, 9 November 1915, Page 8

NATIONAL REGISTER.

FIRST PHASE ENDS TO-DAY. IS,OOO FORMS DISTRIBUTED IN TARANAKI TJie first phase In the great task of compiling a war census in New Zealand ends to-day, and this is the last opportunity for returning schedules. Those who have schedules still in their possession must return thorn, properly filled in, to the nearest post office today, and anyone who has not received a schedule must apply for one to-day. There is a penalty of £IOO for the failure if any man between the ages of 17 years and 60 years to do this. Inquiries made at the New Plymouth Post Office yesterday show that the distribution of the schedules in Taraiiaki has entailed considerable work. It has been controlled from New Plymouth, and schedules have been distributed, to the number of about 18,000, all over Taranaki, from New Plymouth to Hawera, all round the coast, and as far north as Mokau. At New Plymouth and at Hawera special officers have been employed for distribution, while in other parts of the district the schedules were sent out through the medium of the ordinary postal service. It was impossible to say yesterday how many of the 18,000 schedules had been returned, but during the past few days they have been received back in very large numbers, indicating that very few of the 18,000 sent out have not been sent back.

CLASSIFICATION PROCEEDING RAPIDLY.

The 1 period allowed for the taking of tlie National Register will close to-day, and any man who has not yet filled in his schedule and delivered or posted it to the authorities should give the matter his immediate attention. The completion of the forms, it may be repeated again, is compulsory, and penalties are provided for defaulters. The clause of the National Registration Act dealing with the matter reads as follows:—

Any person , . who wilfully' fails to furnish particulars as required by such proclamation, or who wilfully makes any false statement with respect to such particulars, shall be liable on summary conviction berore a stipendiary magistrate to 'i fine not less than £5 and not exceeding £IOO, or to imprisonment for a period not

exceeding six months,

No person, it may be repeated, ia relieved of responsibility bj" the fa lure of the authorities to deliver a blank schedule. It ia the business of those affected by the proclamation, that is, all male citizens between the ages of seventeen and sixty years, to provide themselves with the forms, which may be obtained at any post office. The work of classification ia already in full swing. About fifty officers are working under the direction of the Government Statistician (Mr. Malcolm Fraser), handling the schedules _ that have come to hand already and preparing them for the final classification. Some half-dozen official marks have to be placed on each paper, according to the age, occupation, etc., of the individual, and the nature of the anawers which, have been returned to the' more important questions. Then each paper has to be checked, in order to see that the man who sent it in has followed tin instructions and made no obvious mistakes. The cards themselves, arranged in strict alphabetical order, will form the Register finally, but in the first instance special blue cards are being used to classify the information required by the Defence authorities concerning the number of men of military age in the Dominion, the nature of their responsibilities, and their willingness or otherwise to serve in the forces.