H.—22

6

APPENDIX. I. IiKI'OI.'T OK THE ACTING GOVERNMENT STATISTICIAN. Census and Statistics Office, Wellington, I8tl) June, l!) 20. DuniNu the past twelve months very little new work has been undertaken, the energies of the Office having been devoted mainly to consolidating various matters which a 1 tin , date of Mr. Fraser's last report were in a more or less incomplete condition. Two new branches of work Ihen in their initiatory stages —viz., Ihe animal collection of statistics of lire insurance and of statistics of industrial manufacture have been completed for their first year, and successfully established for the future. The census tabulation and printing (with the exception of ihe Government Statistician's General Report, which is slill in tin 1 Printer's hands) have been completed, and the lomgjiromiM'd Report on Wholesale ami Retail Prices, delayed l>v circumstances arising out of the war, has been prepared and is now passing through the Printer's hands. Another edition of the biennial Municipal Handbook, extended to cover the operations of all cities, boroughs, town districts, and harbour districts, is also in Ihe press. 'The 1919 Year-book appeared considerably earlier in the year than recent preceding issues. The preparation and printing of the detailed Statistics for L 919 is in a forward condition, and generally speaking the work of the Office is well up to date, and we are in a strong position to extend our activities so soon as the necessary qualified personnel is available. For a great part of the last twelve months the Office has carried Oil with only three out of live of its senior officers, Mr. Malcolm Kraser having been absent since November last, as the New Zealand representative at the Imperial Conference of Statisticians, and Mr. (J. W. Clinkard. M.Coni.. the senior Compiler in Charge, having been promoted to a position in the Board of Trade. 1 have to record uiv appreciation of the manner Hi which junior officers have assisted towards bringing and keeping the work up to date. Shortage of Paper. The present acute shortage of paper has necessitated a drastic reduction in I hi' bulk and Lumber of statistical publications. While this is regrettable in view of Ihe unprecedented demand for statistical in formal ion, there can be no doubt that many who have hitherto received these have made little or no use of them. The cancellation of the free list will go a long wav towards counterbalancing the reduction in the printing order, and a sufficient number of volumes should be available (at a price) for those really requiring them. Tin' following scale of charges for the regular publications of the Office lias been authorized by the Hon. Minister of Internal Affairs : New Zealand Official Year-book, (is. Statistics of New Zealand (Annual)--Vol. i, l<.; Vol. ii, (»s.; Vol. iii, -is.; Vol. iv. is. Monthly Abstract of Statistics — Per copy. !)d. ; per annum. 7s. tid. Municipal Handbook, os. Gil. Registration of Aliens. At Ihe beginning of April, L 920, the number of aliens on the Dominion register was 8,581, an increase of 246 since July, 1919. This small increase gives, however, no indication of the volume of work entailed under the Registration of Aliens Act, 1!)17. A system of statistical cards has been recently introduced, and from the first two months' results it is found that 334 new registrations were effected, while 27.) aliens were removed from the register on account of death, naturalization, or departure from the Dominion (principally the latter), many of those registered being only in Xew Zealand for a few weeks on business or pleasure. Thus during the two months a net increase of •">."> represented a total of 613 transactions of registration or cancellation. In addition, notifications of change of address add considerably to the work of this Office and the police. On the resumption of the granting of letters of naturalization arrangements were made for certificates of alien registration to be collected from grantees by the Infernal Affairs Department and forwarded to this Office to allow of the ne<:essary steps being taken towards the cancellation of the alien's registration. One incidental result of this system lias been to bring to light several cases of non-registration, and in consequence prosecutions for failure to comply with the requirements of the Act have been taken against v number of those applying for naturalization. Several alien applicants for permits to leave New Zealand have similarly been discovered to be unregisr tered, and here again legal proceedings have been taken. \ slight defect has been found to exist in the Registration of Aliens Art in that as it stands there' is no compulsion for registration in the three following classes of cases: (1) A British-born woman who has married a foreign subject in New Zealand subsequent to the coming into operation'of Ihe Ad ; (2) a foreign subject who has reached the age of fifteen (in New Zealand) since the Act came into force; (•">) an alien who has been denaturalized under the Revocation of Natural- ' ■ tion Act L 915. 1 understand an amending Hill to cover these classes will be introduced during the forthcoming session.