THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

Taranaki Daily News, 29 October 1915, Page 7

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

EVERY MAN'S DUTY. ■ ANSWER PLAINLY AND PROMPTLY. CLASSIFICATION OF THE SCHEDULES. (From Our Own Correspondent). Wellington, Oct. 27.

Operations in connection with the preparation of the National Register are proceeding apace. ■ Forms have been distributed already from the North Cape to the Bluff ami complete schedules have begun to reach the Government. Statistician (Mr. Malcolm Fiaser) in a stream that soon will grow to formidable dimensions. Before the end of this u'eek the process of classification will he in full swing. Generally speaking, the questions are being answered in the simple, direct manner desired by the authorities. There are some exceptions, due in part to the form in which the questions are put. The usual tendency is for the ipan to give more information than is required, not less. It is not. necessary, for example, to express willingness to serve the State in n civil capacity if readiness to join the military forces (should the occasion arise) has been indicated in an earlier answer. A man who has stated that his genera] health is good need not mention minor ailments ih reply to the question regarding physical infirmities. A few men have omitted to make any answer at all to the queries regarding willingness, or unwillingness, to serve with the forces or to assist the State in some civil capacity. Some citizens have been expressing anxiety lest the information recorded in the schedules should come into the possession of unauthorised individuals and they have pointed out that the envelopes provided for the transmission of the forms to the Government Statistician are thin enough to be slightly transparent. The postal officials are' not likely to spend tfieir time trying to read the replies through the envelopes, Ibut in any ease the man who is nervous on the point may fold a piece of opaque paper round his schedule before placing it ill the envelope, or lie may use an envelope of his own, remembering not to fold the form in new lines. He may even deliver the paper personally to the office of the Government Statistician.

When the schedules reach the central office in Wellington they will be lmndlcH only by responsible members of the public service, and 110 dang'cr of an',' leakage of information need be apprehended. The whole of the information contained in the schedules will be regarded as absolutely confidential and

will be used solely for the purpose classifying the men of the nonunion into certain groups. It is expected that between thirty and forty officers will be employed in dealing with the forms after the expiration 011 November 9 of the period appointed for the taking of the Register.

The upper right hand corner of the schedule has a space reserved for the use of the officials in connection with the classification. 'I. he Government •Statistician stated to-dav, in answer lo a question on the point, that probably there would be twenty-one classes. Men who. had been accepted for service would be for one class, men who were physically unfit would bo lor another, and so on. The men of military a"e who were willing io serve with the miiitarv forces would be classified into five groups, possibly as follows: Single men without dependents, single men with dependents, widowers, married men, and married men with dependents.