G.—l2

1886. NEW ZEALAND.

CENSUS OF THE MAORI POPULATION (PAPERS RELATING TO THE).

Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency.

No. 1. (No. 17.) Circular to Officers. Sir,— Native Office, Wellington, 30th December, 1885. I am directed by the Hon. the Native Minister to inform you that you have been appointed an Enumerator for the purpose of taking a census of the Maori and half-caste population (living as members of a Maori tribe) in the counties noted in the margin, inclusive of interior boroughs; and you are authorized to nominate such Sub-enumerators as you may consider necessary to enable an accurate census to be taken of the Maori population in the district for which you arc responsible. It is considered that the several counties should be the census districts, and probably one Sub-enumerator had better be appointed for each county. The remuneration authorized for Sub-enumerators, who, in the Middle Island, are to be policemen, is 2s. 6d. per day, with actual travelling expenses. You will he good enough to place yourself in communication with officers of districts adjoining your own, and arrange with them, so that there will be no possibility of any Maoris being omitted from the census, or numbered more than once. You are authorized to request the co-operation of any officers in the Government service whose aid or information would be of value; and Mr. Ballance desires that you will use your most earnest endeavours to make the census as accurate as possible. Printed forms of the return to be furnished, to which I am to request that you will be good enough to adhere as far as possible, are forwarded herewith. It is considered that the Maori census cannot be taken in the same manner as the European census —on one particular night; but it is desirable that it should be taken within as short a period of time as possible, say, the third week in February. You will then have the opportunity during the remainder of the month of February and the month of March of carefully examining the returns, communicating with Enumerators in other districts, and correcting any errors or omissions before forwarding the returns completed to this office, which should be done as soon possible after the Ist April. I have to request that you will accompany your return with a report on the increase or decrease of the Natives within your district since the last census was taken, remarking also upon the general state of health of the Natives, any disease or epidemic which may have visited them, and supplying any other information bearing on the statistics of the Maori population which you may consider of interest. I enclose for your information a copy of the census of the Maori population of 1881. I have, &c., T. W. Lewis, ______________________ Under-Secretary.

No. 2. Mr. H. W. Bishop, R.M., Mangonui, to the Under-Secretary, Native Department. Sir, — Resident Magistrate's Office, Mangonui, 29th March, 1886. Referring to your circular-letter of the 30th December last, I have now the honour to forward to you herewith the return of the census just taken by me of the Maori and halfcaste population within the County of Mangonui. I— G. 12.