A.—4A

8

(2.) On receipt of any particulars of the birth of any Samoan child, notwithstanding that the full particulars required by these regulations have not been furnished, the Pulenu'u and the Fa'amasino shall enter the particulars furnished in the Register of Births and on the duplicate sheet as aforesaid. (3.) The said register shall be in the form No. 1 in the First Schedule hereto, or to the effect thereof. (4.) Upon completing the entries in the register and on the duplicate sheet aforesaid the Pulenu'u and the Fa'amasino shall request the informant to sign the same. Registration of Deaths of Samoans. 5. (1.) Within seven days from the date of the death of any Samoan occurring on or after the Ist day of April, 1922, the following particulars shall be furnished to the Pulenu'u of the village and to the Fa'amasino of the district in which the death occurred :— (a.) Date of death. (6.) Place of death. (c.) Name of deceased. (d.) Residence of deceased (village and district in which deceased resided). (e.) Age of the deceased (if known). (/.) Sex of the deceased. (</.) The name of the father of the deceased. (h.) Residence of the father of the deceased. (i.) The name of the mother of the deceased. (j.) Residence of the mother of the deceased. (it.) If deceased married, name of husband or wife. (I.) Number and sex of children living (if any). (m.) Cause of death. (n.) Signature of informant. (o.) Residence of informant. (p.) Such other particulars as the Administrator may from time to time determine. (2.) Every person present at the death is responsible for the notification of such death, and they shall choose one of their number to furnish to the Pulenu'u of the village and to the Fa'amasino of the district the particulars hereinbefore referred to. 0. (1.) On receipt of the particulars of the death of any Samoan as aforesaid the Pulenu'u and the Fa'amasino shall enter the name in the Register of Deaths and on a duplicate sheet to be supplied for the purpose by the Native Affairs Department. (2.) On receipt of any particulars as to the death of any Samoan, notwithstanding that the full particulars as required by these regulations have not been furnished, the Pulenu'u and the Fa'amasino shall enter the particulars furnished in the Register of Deaths and on the duplicate sheet aforesaid. (3.) The said register shall be in the form No. 2 in the First Schedule hereto or to the effect thereof. (4.) Upon completing the entries in the register and on the duplicate sheet aforesaid the Pulenu'u and the Fa'amasino shall request the informant to sign the same. 7. (1.) On the death of any Samoan who has been attended in his last illness by a registered medical practitioner, that practitioner shall sign and deliver or cause to be delivered to the Secretary for Native Affairs a certificate on a form to be provided for the purpose by the Secretary for Native Affairs, stating to the best of his knowledge and belief the causes of death (both primary and secondary), the duration of the last illness of the deceased, and such other particulars as may be required by the Secretary for Native Affairs. (2.) The immediately preceding subclause of this regulation does not absolve any persons mentioned in subclause (2), clause 5, of these regulations from the duty of reporting such death to the Pulenu'u of the village and the Fa'amasino of the district in which the death occurred. (3.) The particulars set forth in the certificate required under subclause (1) of this regulation shall be entered, together with the name of the certifying medical practitioner, in the Register of Deaths kept by the Secretary for Native Affairs. General. 8. (1.) Every Pulenu'u shall forward at once to the Fa'amasino the duplicate sheets of all registrations of the births and deaths of Samoans effected by him. (2.) Every Fa'amasino shall forward by the first available Government messenger the duplicate sheets of all registrations of the births and deaths of Samoans effected by him, and by the Pulenu'u of his district, to the official mentioned below :— Savai'i —The Resident Commissioner, Fagamalo ; Aleipata—-The Resident Commissioner, Aleipata ; Upofu (other than Aleipata)—The Secretary for Native Affairs, Apia ; who will forward such duplicate sheets to the Secretary for Native Affairs at monthly intervals. 9. The registers kept in pursuance of these regulations by the Secretary for Native Affairs shall at all reasonable times be open to the public on payment of the search fee set forth in the Second Schedule hereto, and the Secretary for Native Affairs shall, on application by any person, and on payment of the fees set forth in the said schedule, issue certificates of any entries in the said registers. 10. Every person required by these regulations to furnish particulars in respect of any matter who without sufficient cause fails to furnish such particulars, and every Pulenu'u and Fa'amasino who fails to comply with the requirements of these regulations, shall be liable for a first offence to a fine not exceeding £2, and for a second offence to a fine not exceeding £5 ; and any person who knowingly furnishes false particulars shall be liable to a fine not exceeding £20. 11. The fees set out in the Second Schedule hereto shall be payable to the Secretary for Native Affairs in respect of the matters therein specified, and shall be accounted for by him to the Treasury in Apia. Remarks on System op Registration op Births and Deaths op Samoans. The present system of registration was brought into force on the Ist January, 1923. At first much extra work was thrown on the Native Department, as all forms sent in with incomplete particulars were sent back to the Native officials for completion. These officials very quickly fell into line, and after a few months the system worked smoothly. The regulations at first sight appear to demand unnecessary duplication of the work of reporting, but the extra accuracy resulting from notification to two officials is worth the trouble. In addition we have in each village a record of all births and deaths occurring in that village, on the duplicate forms in the village birth and death books, and also complete district registers in the Fa'amasino's books.