CENSUS TO-NIGHT

New Zealand Times, Volume LIII, Issue 12425, 20 April 1926, Page 7

CENSUS TO-NIGHT

ARRANGEMENTS COMPLETE STATEMENT BY GOVERNMENT STATISTICIAN IMPORTANT POINTS Mr Malcolm Fraser, Government Statistician, made a statement, yesterday in which he draws attention to &oni<* important points to be observed by citizens in connection with the taking of the Census to-night. “I have just returned front a visit to the enumerators in the various districts, both in the North and South island,” said Mr Malcolm Fraser, “and I was very pleased to find how keen the postal officers charged with the work in the various local districts were in organising and getting the necessary preliminary work xip to date, tn every distrut efficiency in organisa tion wns manifest. “To-morrow (Tuesday) night is the dato fixed for the taking of the Census, and I would earnestly appeal to all persons to assist the local sub-enu-merntor as far ns possible by having all the schedules properly completed * for him when he calls after Census night. “If by to-morrow afternoon any householders have not hod the nece» Bary schedules delivered to them they should ring up the census enumerator, Chief Post Office ftelephono No.

46-040—ask for No. 3), and adviso him of the position. Ho will then arrange for the local sub-enumerator responsible to have the schedules immediately delivered. “It is essential in the organisation of the collection that the schedule be left by the local sub-enumerator, who is the only person who can put on tne schedules the appropriate mesh block, letter, number, etc., for the area in which the household is located. IMPORTANT POINTS There are two points I wish to ini' press on householders, namely:— (1) In the event of their being absent from their house on Census Dighfc —the house being thus unoccupied on that night—they should not take away with them tho schedules left at the house. They will obtain their own schedules wherever they spend that night. For their own household, they should complete the dwelling schedule (the blue schedule), answering question 6 as to the number of persona who pass the. night in the house by the word ‘‘none,” and marking “unoccupied” on the schedule, and see that it is left with the unused blank “family or personal schedule” in some place where the sub-enumerator can collect it—either with a neighbour, or. if they are returning the following day, deliver it thernaelves, explaining that the house has been unoccupied and that they have been enumerated elsewhere.

(2) In some cases the husband, who, of course, is the householder* may be absent on Census night; and in that case the dwelling and family schedule will be completed .bv the wife as the head of the house. Those children who r>n*s Census night with her in the house will be shown on the family schedule, but any children absent with the father, or who are elsewhere, wih be enumerated where they are. The wife in filling in the fnmilv schedule, as head of the house (in the temporary absence of the husband) will not enter in column (which asks for each married man, widower, or widow the number o* dependent children under 16). the number of children dependent on her husband, and put a da.*h on the letters “n.a.” (not applicable).

The number of children under 16 dependent on her absent husband will be entered by him on his personal schedule, in answer to the corresponding 'question wherever he spends the Census night. (3) —In the case of week-end residence* unoccupied on Census night, and for which schedules may have been delivered to them last .week-end, the proprietor should not destroy them merely because he has already received schedules at his town residence and will be enumerated there. The dual schedule for the # week-end residence, .although unoccupied, should he completed, as set out in paragraph (1) bo left in a suitable place for delivery to the sub-enumerator when he calls. ARRANGEMENTS MOST COMPLETE The principles underlying the enumeration are as follow: “That everybody is to be enumerated where such person passes the Census night (and nobody is to beNmumerated on the schedule for any house where he has not passed the night); and nobody is to be included on the schedules for any house unless such person, has spent tho Oensim night there, or arrived home the following morning from night duty, not having been enumerated elsewhere. “Schedules will be left at all dwellings, and should not be taken away or removed to other dwellings than those at which they have been left. “Every dwelling unoccupied will have the dwelling schedule completed, but not the family or personal schedule. Tn the case of unoccupied dwellings, the sub-enumerator is authorised to complete the dwelling schedule, if he cannot obtain one from the owner, to the best of his ability, from information on the spot' but it would greatly facilitate the Census if the owner completed the dwelling aohedulev mark it unoccupied and left it for the subenumerator when he calls. UNDER SEALED COVER “On this occasion, for the first time the privilege has been extended to all those furnishing personal schedules, to supply them under sealed cover, in accordance with the directions on the hack of the personal schedule, and such scaled cover will not he opened by the local sub-enumerator at the door, but

lias to he delivered intact to the central enumerator. “All persons passing the Census night in a dwelling who are not members of the householder’s family, are entitled to receive a personal schedule, which they may fill up and put under sealed cover, as mentioned. This is a privilege that has not before been extended at a Census enumeration in any part of the world. “I am confident that citizens taking advantage of this privilege will respond to the duty of citizenship required of them by seeing that their schedule is properly completed and accurately filled in before putting it under sealed cover. Should _ any great percentage of schedules received under sealed cover ho incomplete, it will considerably increase the cost and labour of obtaining the missing particulars, and will influence tho decision on any future occasion as to the extension of the privilege granted at this Census. I therefore earnestly appeal to all those placing their schedule under sealed cover to see that it is fully and properly completed, and that the directions on the. baek are followed.”