EDITORIAL.

Thames Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 10350, 25 April 1911, Page 4

EDITORIAL.

ILL-PAID CENSUS OFFICERS.

The census collectors in many parts of Australia* hatfe 'been complaining bitterly of tLc poorness! of the n:-. compemse they received for work that proved extremely difficult. In a great many centres meetings' were held last wteelk, and resolutions were passed urging? that adequate payment should be gilvlen, and a deputation of collecitora placed 1 the resolutions before the iStecr'etary for TT. ~ ■

Affair's. Thei'e w'ei-fl over ai lmnclivl collectors present at a, meeting l;e!.l in Melbourne, and they dfid not hesitate to declare thait the Government had been payingl slweating 1 rates for the work 1 donei in connection with the census). A numta of speakers said that they estimated that their labor would ibe equal to twelve full days of eight hours, a,nd the payments Varied from £'2 to £3, the rate in many cases toeingl, less than 6tl an hour. Tho chairman started that the Commonwealth Statisticain, Mr 'G; H. Knibbs, had estimated that tho wolrk of collectingl the censuscard's should occupy not moire than fivel days, but it sfteimed to him that those at the bead of affairs knew very little about this nature of the task. They should try the work themselves. Mr Knlblba's ideal was that the people would meet the collectors and say, "Oh, yes; w!e know all aibout it. Call on Monday and

tha returns will bo nioely filled in." What did happen at the first place the speaker visited was that tha woman said '"No" loudly, and ibansted tha didor in hh face. He knocked until she came out attain in :i bad

temper, and covered with .soapsuds, and asked what he mieiant by it. He tried to explain, but she wtould not listen. "I know all about you," she said. "You'i'e the referee, and my husband told me to say 'No.'" R took him threequartei's of an hour to make her understand what he Wanted, and I>y the time ■ he got through the first street: lie realised: thaifc ha cioullcl not hope to earn, more than half-al-orown a day. He liad to spend the day explaining! the requirements of the aen.sus to landladies andl go T^ack at night to explain to the lodgers. Other speakers told similar storieisi, and some complained that Chinese interpreters had been paid £1 a dlay for census work. Tho deputation which asiked for increasled remuneration and prompt payment impressed the Secretary for Homo Affairs with tho justice of its demands.