PROPOSED CENSUS

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 65, Issue 154, 12 April 1945, Page 6

PROPOSED CENSUS

AN OBJECTION VOICED, (P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. “If there has been justification for the delay in taking a census of our population because of the war it is difficult to discover any sound reason for taking it now,” said Mr W. J. Poison (acting-Leader of the Opposition) iii a statement to-day. “There are approximately 100,000 men and women still serving in the forces, of whom a substantial majority are overseas, and, in addition, because of the manpower demands, there is a very considerable migration of our people to the chief towns and away from their normal places of residence. A census taken under such conditions must present a false picture of the distribution of New Zealand’s population, and give undue weight to the figures of the city population. In any case, with the war fortunately approaching its end, it is surely unnecessary to take an out-of-season census in September, unless the Government is actuated by motives unrevealed in the characteristic announcement of the Acting-Prime Minister. “In order to obtain a ‘ clear picture’ of the location of people, it seems to me, it would be better lo wait-a few months until people Avho have been doing important Avork in connection witli the war return to whatever homes they intend to take up their residence in, before taking a census.