TAKING THE CENSUS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 88, 14 April 1945, Page 4

TAKING THE CENSUS

.rmjRTHER manpower is required both by the farmer and secondary £ -industry, and the Army's demands are by no means satisfied. Yet -the Government has decided to take a census in September. Why. The war has drifted further from our shores than at the date when it was deemed advisable to postpone the census, but war's demands are just as intense to-day as they were then. Thousands of man-hours will be involved in the issuance and collection of the census papers and thousands ~ niore in the tabulation of results. This amount of labour cannot b provided by the present Civil Service staff, or, if it can, the Departments concerned are badly overstaffed. It seems, therefore, that the men who -Will be used could be employed in more productive channels but the determining factor may be that only after a census can the seats m th. „ f Representatives be, redistributed. Trends of recent years : , indicate an unfortunate but steady drift to the ciUes overgr.own Sty seats to bl won As the cities, for the most part, are. Labour strongholds, he • b2 W ° that the census is political rather than economic, intended suspicion arises that the ce P at ]ast election to overcome the itg pre'sent distribution may give an unequal value to votes majority The pres?n j not when the farm, workshop and factory 6 for men for the Army and for essential industry.