The Wizard at sea

Press, 27 March 1981, Page 10

The Wizard at sea

The black-hatted Wizard of Christchurch, who presumably enjoys getting others’ attention when he holds forth from his platform ■ in Cathedral . Square, is apparently not very good at paying attention to the heeds of others. He is Willing enough to give information and advice about other people’s affairs; at census time he is reluctant to give information about himself. Perhaps the Department of Statistics should question the Wizard when he has a good audience; the Sight of many ears seems to get him going; In Our letter column today a correspondent urges us to ignore the Wizard and his nonsense. Perhaps, we should; but We Suspect that the department ■>

has had a good mileage from the cranky antics of the Wizard. His perverse refusal to fill in census papers, and his attempt to elude the duty by taking a boat to sea on .census night, have given the department excellent opportunities to urge upon other citizens the importance of the census. By his bad example the- Wizard has done everyone else a service. If, in future, he never quotes statistics for this or any other country, so much the better. They can- be left to people who can put them to greater use. If the Wizard elects not to accept any benefits from the State with which he does not wish to co-operate in a simple and useful exercise, no-one is likely to disagree with him. Our correspondent is * certainly right on that score.