Manawatu Evening Standard. FRIDAY, JULY 6, 1945. THE CENSUS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXV, Issue 185, 6 July 1945, Page 4

Manawatu Evening Standard. FRIDAY, JULY 6, 1945. THE CENSUS.

Tiie Acting-Prime Minister still finds difficulty in giving a satisfactory reason why tire census should be taken this year. To the Leader of the Opposition’s criticism he replies that the question is a very'simple one — it is merely 1 whether the census should be taken this year or next year, or not at all. He then defines the legislative position. quoting the provision made in 1940 “when it was contempla<ed that the census might be taken at -any time, between 1940 and 1945.” This is not the correct interpretation to be placed upon the law then enacted. The clause inserted in the Finance Act of 1940 required that the census should be taken in any year from 1941 to 1945 inclusive, and that the next census thereafter should be taken in 1940. If will be ten years next March since the last statistical record of this nature was taken and a complaint against the Government, which it has completely failed to remove, is of holding it at an abnormal period and out of its proper sequence when conditions will have improved. In spite of reasoned arguments for deferring the census till next year it stubbornly refuses to do so. Except for 'the' period of the depression the census has been taken at regular five yearly intervals since 1881, so that by deciding to take it in the spring of this year the Government is making- a very serious departure from accepted practice. The legislative position does not warrant the Government’s action. To be of statistical value a census should provide a true picture of the movement of population. It cannot do so under present circumstances because of the dislocations caused by the war. Thousands of people have been drafted into the Services at home and abroad and thousands more have entered war industries, leaving their regular place of abode to which they will return as .conditions become normal. Thus a temporary situation has arisen which is not; likely to be materially altered by September. The soldiers are commencing to return from overseas and in the autumn most of the Division may well be home againIt would be more sensible to postpone the taking of the census till March or April when the men returning will have settled down in their new occupations and industry will have also approached a more normal state. The Acting-Prime Minister in his reply to Mr Holland correctly says the next census is also necessary for electoral purposes. But: this does not mean that it is imperative to hold it in September, nor can the Minister give an adequate reason for choosing this time. From the facts we have stressed injustice must be done in selecting this earlier date as representation for electoral purposes will be based on an abnormal distribution of the population within the country, while servicemen still overseas will be excluded. A census taken in April next

year would enable the representation commissioners to distribute the seats in ample time for the election in 1946 if the necessary information is made available early as in 1911.