THE CENSUS YEAR.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10000, 22 March 1910, Page 4

THE CENSUS YEAR.

Even amid the confusion of British Parliamentary proceedings certain formal measures are being dealt with; amonff them one for taking the next British census at the same date as that arranged for throughout the Empire, remarks the "New Zealand Herald." Thrs Bill has beea introduced by Mr John Burns, as President of the Local Government Board, and provides for the taking of the British census upon the first Sunday in April. Much difficulty has been experienced in making statistical comparisons and estimates by the failure of our Imperial States to collect their population returns upon the same date. This will henceforward be ' avoided whether the decennial or quinquennial method is adhered to. It has N often been urged that New Zealand should accept the British- decennial i system, but although there ii considerable expense and a great deal of labour connected with a census-tak-ing, there appear to be very good reasons why new and rapidly-growing colonies should adhere to the quinquennial. Only when the Dominion is mucb more populous and does not need to make the best showing it can in the statistical world can we wisely say that a census every te.i years is enough. .The next census will certainly show New Zealand to have passed the million mark—and we would suggest to Sir Joseph Ward that it would have done so long ago had it not been for the singular antagonism to land settlement displayed by the Continuous Administration. *