KEEN INTEREST1 IN CENSUS

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26398, 17 April 1951, Page 6

KEEN INTEREST 1 IN CENSUS

RETURNS TO BE MADE TCNICHT

The Census Office in the Chief Pmt Office, Christchurch, has indication* of keen public interest in the returns which must be made as at midnight tp-night. 'there Jias been a constant stream of inquiries from persons w.io have not vet received t leir forms and from others who seek guidance abort filling them m if they are away ir O m horn.?. Anyone who has not be-m sun* plied with forms by this afternoon should communicate with the Census Office. The forms will be recollected by tha sub-enumerators who delivered them Because of staff and accommoda tion shortages, the completion of the census will take a considerable time Even then New Zealand's total ponu.' lation will not be known until a separate census has been taken (probably in September) for the Cook islands Niue, the Tokelau islands, and V/estern Samoa. The population, excluding these islands, was 1,732,330 at th- last general census on September 25, 1915 q. a rough mainland check last Sentem. ber it was 1,927.848. The 2,000.000 mark is not expected to be reached until the end of thia year.

MINISTER ASKS FOR COOPERATION

"EVERY QUESTION IS NECESSARY ” (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, April 16 “To-morrow night is census night and every citizen, and particularly th» head of every household, has a small duty to perform in answering the census questions,” said the Minister in charge of the Census and Statistics Department (Mr J. R. Marshall) to-day. "The number of questions has been reduced, compared with the last cenaua, and if it could have been reduced still further that would have been done; Every question now asked is necessary to provide information for some important aspect of government. “If census forms have not been delivered to any house the head of the household should call at the nearest post office, where forms will be available. “I want to give the assurance that the information obtained is treated at confidential and for statistical purposes only,” he said. “The indivdual forms are not available to any other Government department, and even within the Census and Statistics Department these forms are available only to thorn officers who are actually engaged on census work. The forms are destroyed 1 when the statistical information has been obtained. The information sought ‘ in the census is simple, necessary, and valuable, but the filling-in of more than 2,000,000 forms to-morrow night s is a very considerable operation from ; the point of view of the officers of the Census Department. Their task will ba ■ made easier if every citizen plays hit | part willingly.”