The Humour of an Early Census

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 19, 22 July 1933, Page 19

The Humour of an Early Census

The Governor will not personally collect the comingl census in New South Wales. Yet—humourous as we may find the idea of Sir Philip interrogating Mrs. Murphy about her age, the number of her children, or the date of her marriage—the census-taker of early Australia actually was the Governor- of the day,, says , the Sydney "Daily Telegraph."

T. ,A. Coghlan, a former Government Statistician, in a report of the lS9o's, presents a census markedly different in' many respects from the latest one.

"The early Governor was more than the head-gaoler of the settlement," says tho report. "He was dictator, Chief Justice, Court of Appeal, Parliament, storekeeper, and census-taker.

"Ho journeyed from district to district of his little realm on certain appointed days, numbered his people, questioned and exhorted them, and.carried back with him to headquarters the list of their grievances." There is a mere penalty of £10 if we decline to answer the questions the collector for the census puts to us, and a fino of £50 for making an untrue statement; but the power of the Governor to force attendance at the "musters"—early form of the census—was practically unlimited iii "the good old days."

In "The Present Picture of New South Wales," published in 1811, it is written: "Persons neglecting to attend musters, if free, to •be treated as vagrants; and if prisoners, jail-gang twelve mouths." The treatment meted out to vagrants at that time was a period of hard labour. In Governor Bligh's day, the- statistician tells us, a broach of tho muster regulations brought a punishment of 500 lashes to some, and to others a fine of £100—rejn-esenting a much larger sum then than it does today.

Coghlan makes a "record of amusing blunders and other incidents of an amusing character which occurred in connection with the census'of 1891."A candidate for Parliament wrote , a recommendation to help one of his

voters. "The spelling)," says Goghlan,, "was remarkable for its originality. In the course of a brief memorandum, the Parliamentary gentleman wrote 'under Stand,' 'clericle,' 'piesure,' 'consiteration,' ' sadisf action,-' 'beleve,' 'hopcing,' 'sueksessful,' 'aplycation.'" . , .

Original lettering seems to have been a common trait of early Australia. The list 'of ' . what. were undoubtedly "Alices" included girls and women each firmly convinced that Her name was "Hallus," "Allis," or "Alis." One man whose parents probably christened him '' Enoch signed himself in a self-sufficient manner as "Enough." Another had ,a "nevew" named "Ali 'csimder."

"Gregory Hannah" the census (also "ceneis," "sences," "seneus") authorities learned was not au inhabitant, but the county Georgiana, from ■which the person came. "Glass Co" was recognised as "Glasgow," "Kennedy" for "Canada," "Hailer White" for "Isle of Wight," and "Lankshear" for "Lancashire." One resourceful gentleman, apparently born at Mauritius, wrote first "Maritius," then "Mariehus," finally crossed them all out, and wrote "at sea." . • .

The "Occupations" column provided a few pleasantly linusual answers. In ono ease it was stated that the mother "takes washing" and the sou "takes fits."

The duties of one woman were given as "domestic and feeds the fowls," whilo it is a telling illustration of the hard times that a bailiff was "seldom at home." There was a young man of twenty-three who, though born without arms, was able, not only to write, but also to earn his living as an artist.

Ono husband plaintively remarked, in giving the occupation of his mother-in-law, that "she sits in her chair and smokes all day." Another, mom succinct, wrote, "nags only," and a third, with some spite in his pen, "lives on. me." Two bono-dealers, we are told, lived at Rookwood, a locality grimly appropriate.