WHAT CENSUS MEANS

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 112, 12 April 1926, Page 10

WHAT CENSUS MEANS

IMPORTANCE TO STATE. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC STANDPOINT. The importance of the modern State of having an accurate census was emphasised by Mr Malcolm Fraser, Government Statistician, in an address delivered to members of the Economic Society of Australia and New Zealand (Wellington branch). For the first time this year, he said, very important inquiries were added as to income grades and number of dependants, which would be invaluable in considering schemes of social insurance. The results to be obtained from the census were essential for intelligent administration and for proper investigation of economic and sociological questions. It enabled some estimate to be made of tho success or failure of administrative efforts and disclosed whether the country was moving towards success or disaster.

Hitherto Sunday night had been considered the best night of the week to find everybody at home, hut with the development of motor transport, and the greater liberty, the more general had come tho week-end habit of travel, which had disturbed the confidence of finding everybody at home on Sunday night, so, by way of experiment on this occasion, Tuesday night was adopted. Still, he predicted a return in future to a Sunday night census. For the purpose of collection of data New Zealand was divided into seventy separate districts, with eighty-three enumerators and 1171 sub-enumerators. On the coming occasion for the first time Maoris were to be enumerated on household schedules, of course with considerable modifications of those used for Europeans. “There is a general impression,” said Mr Fraser, “that an alphabetical register of particulars obtained at the census is kept in tho Census Office, and from time to time requests are made for extracts for verification of some fact or other. This impression is quite erroneous. Schedules are retained in geographical order as collected. The Census Office is not interested in individuals, and although not an impossibility, it would be a very difficult matter indeed to find any particular individual’s census schedule. Immediately the particulars have been transferred to cards by a punch machine, the schedules are burnt under supervision. “Tho scheme of one schedule for a family and personal schedules, which may be placed under sealed cover, for non-members of the family, has been, adopted for this census. It remains to be seen how far the jiersonal schedule under sealed cover will be successful in obtaining full particulars. Should the response bo satisfactory, no doubt a future development will be in the direction of allowing all schedules to be supplied under sealed cover. “As the law stands in New Zealand the responsibility is on the householder to furnish particulars with regard to all occupants of his dwelling. For the early days, when the housing problem was not so acute and tenement and apartment houses were almost unknown, no great exception could be taken to the single schedule, but with the great increase in recent times of cases of more than one family occupying the same dwelling, the sub-letting of rooms, and the number of households with one or two occupants' not members of tho family, tho position had considerably altered. It is clear that for the future tho use of the personal or individual schedule will have to be considerably extended. “Tho main consideration in the collection of tho census is tho accuracy of the results obtained, and' the problem of the schedule form must be approached from this point. It is not considered that a personal schedule would he any great advance on tho household schedule in this respect, unless arrangements could be made for preserving secrecy of contents from other occupants of tho djvclling. So far as members of a family are concerned, it is considered that accuracy of information and minimum of labour is best secured by a household schedule, while with the arrangements made for secrecy of contents lor occupants not members of the family, they would bo served with individual schedules. To adopt the individual schedule entirely would entail a very considerable increase in the work of collection and checking, and is not so suitable for a family as is the household schedule.

“Wise development of the resources of the State demand that its affairs should bo periodically brought under systematic review by competent critics. As the complexity of the State increases and the functions of Government develop, so will the tendency to extend tho scope and searching character of census inquiries. It is more than ever necessary to take note, to arrange, to classsify and to study all those factors in modern life which are of importance from the sociological and economical standpoint, the ceaseless interplay of which forms that bewildering composite usually, described as the progress of the nation. To-day tho census is the means for determining in what direction it is wise for social organisation to evolve. Great schemes for tho advancement and development of the social organisation and for tho welfaro of its constituent parts cannot hope to bo uniformally successful unless guided by well-directed study of the development of population in every material relationship. It is only when this is realised that all people will recognise their duty to the State and cooperate readily and willingly in accurately responding to inquiries instituted for tho benefit of the whole through the medium of tho census. No other single instrument is such a potent factor for increasing our knowledge of human affairs and for enabling us to study the national drift and destiny.”