THE CENSUS NET.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 27, 1 February 1921, Page 4

THE CENSUS NET.

ITO SPREAD OVER ATJCKLAKDj SIMPLE BUT EFFECTIVE SCHEME. ! Ctensns night in Auckland, April 18, promises to reveal a considerable increase in the population of the city and suburbs over the figures of the 1916 census, which were only 133,712. The biatory of the cenens in this conntry reveals a gradual widening in tha I scope of the questions asked, the result: being that the information supplied on ! this occasion will provide a remarkable j picture of the moral, social, and eommer- : cial position of the colony. The 1916 i census coet £17,500 to prepare. The new questions to be answered by the public are probably the result of information culled by Mr. Malcolm Fraeer, the j Oovernment Statistician, while at the Statistical Conference in Great Britain recently. One of these, at any rate, recalls the impotence of the Government in the Old Country when the sunragettes camped out or walked the street-. on census night in 1911 co as to evade having their names recorded. "State tne urual place of residence of persons who are away from such usual place of residence when enumerated." Information in regard to bees, honey, beeswax, and also in regard to poultry, which will also be required are not new, but a series of queries about life insurance come under tl!e category of novelties. The preparations being made for an aoc-rato record'of the local inhabitants, with there various item 3of information are in the hands of the Chief Postmaster of .Auckland and hie staff, and the steps to be taken not only in distributing and collecting the census papers, but- also in rerifying the information supplied, promise a high standard of accuracy in the returns. The area under the control of r he Postmaster includes Eien County, the islands of Haiiraki Gulf, and the ; Oreat and Little Harrier Islands. Eden County comprises Auckland Cit* the horoujrhi of Newmarket, Mount Eden, Onehunga, and part of Mount Albert to \Vhau Riding: Point Chevalier, One Tree* Hill, Avondale, Tamaki West, and Mount Wellington Road districts; and E'lerslie and Panmnre town dfctricte and part of Epsom Riding. The Postmaster of Devonport will control Waitemata County and various other postmaster* jin Auckland Province will superW-e thsir I own areas all of them responsible jto the Chief Postmaster at Auckland. J '-re of the results of the election will : probably b° that some of the electoral ■ districts will be re-arranged. ! LITTLE CHANCE OF EVASION. 1 The somewhat extensive area of Eden County has been divided into no fewer than 54 divisions, each averagin-g , from 600 to 700 habitations. In turn, each division has been split up into about a dozen, "meshes," so that the chances of escape from the net are very <mall indeed. It is anticipated that 54 postal ifficials, probably lette* carriere, most of them with an intimate knowledge of the area they will cover, will undertake the de'ivery, collection, and checking of the papers. ° official documents are generally looked upon with some trepidation, especially by people in Private life. Frequently it happens that Government documents, instead of being read calmly anl intelligently, are magnified by nervous citi7<",s into a kind of Chinese puzzle, and the fact that the questions are really quite simple has nothing to do with the reception given. So it is with the census paper. The average person hardly realises the stir there will be on the nifjht -f April 18. In many a household there lives at least one lady who refuses to state her ape. Unhappy is the lot of the one in charge of the return where there are several boarders or lodgers who take un tnis attitude. The questions bearing on religion also provide food for debate. Even when the minor Queries are faced there is no end of bother occasionally. A record will be taken, of course, oi all persons in public institutions, even to the unfortunates in the lock-up, and the Domain will be scoured by the police during the night, so that all and sundry may be roped in. For the purposes of tie census the names of everyone on board the vessels in the harbours will be recorded, there being a special section in *he return devoted to this class. Last, bat by no means least, there will be a special list made of every one of the '"Tiinese in the district. At' present +here is no suggestion that a separate list of Hindus should be taken, but, of course, such a list could be obtained from the general returns.