TAKING OF CENSUS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25304, 14 August 1943, Page 4

TAKING OF CENSUS

LITTLE PROSPECT DURING WAR-TIME (F.0.P.R.) WELLINGTON, Aug,. 13. Little hope of a census being taken in New Zealand until after the war was offered by the Hinister in Charge of the Census and Statistics Department, Mr D. G. Sullivan, when replying to an inquiry by Mr H. S. S. Kyle (Oppn., Riccarton) during consideration of the departmental estimates in the House of Representatives to-day. Mr Kyle said there had been no census in New Zealand since 1936. The Government would be failing in its duty if it did not have one taken. The electoral boundaries, Mr Kyle said, were determined to a large extent by the results of the census. During the last few years there had been a big redistribution of population. In the building up of the Air Force, for example, large numbers of people had taken up their residence in new districts. Mr E. P. Meachen (Govt., Marlborough): That is only temporary. Mr Kyle: That may not be. The Minister said that although the Government Statistician had many difficulties in regard to man-power, the material required had been with the Government printer for some time. The latter, however,, had man-power difficulties as well, and it was because of these that the census had not been gone on with. When one would be taken he could not say, but he should think there was not much possibility of one being held during the war.