The Short Title of this Act is “The Statistics Act, 1908.”

This Act is a consolidation of the enactments mentioned in the First Schedule hereto.

In this Act, if not inconsistent with the context,—

A census shall be taken in the year one thousand nine hundred and eleven, and again in every fifth year thereafter, of the number and condition of persons, and of the live-stock, and of the land in cultivation within New Zealand, and of other particulars relating thereto, according to such forms and instructions as the Registrar-General causes to be prepared, for the purpose of obtaining information with respect to the subjects specified in the Second Schedule hereto.

Every such census shall be taken in such month and on such day or days not being later than the thirtieth day of April in every such year as the Governor by Proclamation from time to time appoints.

For the taking of such census the Governor may from time to time appoint and remove Enumerators, and define the districts for which they shall respectively act, and determine the number of Sub-Enumerators to be appointed by such Enumerators respectively.

Subject in each case to the approval of the Governor, every Enumerator shall appoint and may remove Sub-Enumerators for his district, and assign subdistricts to such Sub-Enumerators.

Every Sub-Enumerator shall, within fourteen days ending on the day immediately preceding that fixed for taking the census, leave at every dwelling within his subdistrict one of the forms prepared as aforesaid, or where such dwelling is let in different stories or apartments, and occupied distinctly by different persons or families, a separate form for the occupier or person in charge of each such distinct story or apartment.

Every occupier or person in charge of such dwelling, story, or apartment shall fill up and supply in the said form, to the best of his knowledge and belief, the matters and particulars required by the said form and any instructions accompanying the same, and shall sign the said form with his name, and deliver or cause to be delivered the said form so filled up and signed to the Sub-Enumerator authorised to receive the same.

Every Sub-Enumerator shall, on the day next following that fixed for taking the census as aforesaid, or as soon thereafter as practicable, demand and receive the said form at every dwelling, story, or apartment as aforesaid within his subdistrict, and shall satisfy himself, by inquiries of the occupier or person in charge of the same, or of persons in or near the same, that such form is fully, truly, and correctly filled up; or if not so, either in the whole or any particular, shall himself, according to the best information which he is able to obtain, fill up the said form or make the same complete and correct, and in such case shall then and there sign the said form with his own name.

Every Sub-Enumerator shall, within seven days after all the forms within his subdistrict have been completed and received by him, deliver or transmit them, and all other forms required to be filled in by him according to instructions issued by the Registrar-General, to the Enumerator of his district, together with a declaration in the form numbered (1) in the Third Schedule hereto or to the effect thereof, made and subscribed by himself either before the Enumerator or before some Justice, who is hereby respectively authorised to take the same.

If the declaration is made before a Justice, such Justice is hereby required to ascertain that the forms referred to in the declaration are securely made up in a packet for transmission to the Enumerator, and he shall seal the same and notify thereon that it is the packet referred to in the declaration made before him, and such declaration and packet shall be thereupon transmitted to the Enumerator.

The Enumerator shall, in the case of any defect or deficiency in any form so delivered, require the Sub-Enumerator delivering the same to make further inquiries, and to correct such defect or supply such deficiency at his own cost.

Every Enumerator shall, within twenty-one days after receipt from his Sub-Enumerators of all such forms, make out therefrom returns containing such particulars as are required of him by the Registrar-General, and shall sign and transmit the same to the Registrar-General, together with all the forms and the declarations aforesaid as received from the several Sub-Enumerators, and together also with a declaration in the form numbered (2) in the Third Schedule hereto or to the effect thereof, made and subscribed by himself before some Justice, who is hereby authorised and required to take the same.

On receipt from the Enumerators of all returns and of all forms required to be filled up as before provided, the Registrar-General shall examine the same, and cause any defect or inaccuracy therein to be supplied or corrected as far as possible; and shall, with all convenient speed, prepare abstracts therefrom, and such abstracts shall be printed and laid before Parliament.

If any occupier or person in charge of any dwelling, story, or apartment as aforesaid, refuses or wilfully neglects to fill up, to the best of his knowledge or belief, the form or forms so left at his dwelling, story, or apartment, or to sign and deliver the same, or refuses or wilfully neglects to answer or answers untruly any inquiry made by a Sub-Enumerator, or wilfully makes, signs, or delivers, or causes to be made, signed, or delivered, any false return or statement of any particular in such form or forms, or obstructs any person in the performance of any duty under this Act, the person so offending shall be liable to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds:

Provided that such fine shall not be enforced against any person who from conscientious scruples omits to state the religious denomination or sect to which he belongs, and the proof of such conscientious scruple shall be the filling up of the column set apart for that purpose with the word “Object.”

If any Sub-Enumerator fails to return to the Enumerator of his district all the forms received by him, or wilfully signs or delivers any untrue form, or alters any form except as aforesaid, or otherwise wilfully violates any provision of this Act, he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds.

If any Enumerator or Sub-Enumerator makes and subscribes a false declaration under this Act before any Enumerator or Justice, he shall be deemed guilty of perjury.

If any person accepts the office of Enumerator or SubEnumerator under this Act, and afterwards, without lawful excuse from sickness or unavoidable accident, neglects or refuses to perform any duty required by this Act to be done or performed by him, he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding fifty pounds.

If any Enumerator, Sub-Enumerator, or clerk divulges or makes use of any information required by this Act to be given, or the contents of any form required by this Act to be filled up, except for the purposes required by this Act, he shall be liable to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds.

For the purpose of obtaining statistical information the Registrar-General shall, in any year in which a census is taken as hereinbefore provided, cause inquiries, to be approved by the Governor in Council, to be addressed to the person or persons having or reputed to have the control, management, or superintendence of establishments, institutions, or industries of the character described in the Fourth Schedule hereto, and all such persons shall be bound to answer such inquiries to the best of their knowledge and belief.

Every person who refuses or neglects to answer any such inquiry, or wilfully gives any false answer thereto, is liable to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds.

An account shall be taken by the Registrar-General in the month of February in each and every year of the land in cultivation in New Zealand, and of the agricultural produce thereof:

Provided that in any year in which a general census is take as hereinbefore provided, such account may be taken at the time when such census is taken.

With respect to the account to be taken under this section the following provisions shall apply:—

An account shall be taken in each year of the land occupied for agricultural and pastoral purposes in New Zealand, and of the live-stock thereon; and with respect to such account the following provisions shall apply:—

Time and mode of taking and time of publishing account.

Ibid, sec. 3

For the purposes of such account the Minister may from time to time divide New Zealand into districts, appoint Enumerators and Sub-Enumerators for each district, and define their duties and functions and fix their remuneration.

Every owner or occupier of land and every owner or person in charge of live-stock shall, within the time limited in that behalf by the Minister, fill up and supply in the said forms, to the best of his knowledge and belief, the matters and particulars required by such forms and the instructions accompanying the same, and sign such forms, and deliver the same, so filled up and signed, to the person authorised to receive the same.

If any such owner, occupier, or person fails or neglects to faithfully comply with any of the provisions of this section he is liable to a fine not exceeding twenty pounds, to be recovered in a summary manner under “The Justices of the Peace Act, 1908.”

From the account so taken the Minister shall, with as little delay as possible, compile and publish in the Gazette a return setting forth the agricultural and pastoral statistics for the year.

The expenses incurred in the administration of this section shall be paid out of moneys to be appropriated by Parliament for that purpose.

Except when and so often as the Governor in Council otherwise directs, it is hereby declared that the account to be taken under section twenty hereof shall supersede the account referred to in section nineteen hereof, and that the Registrar-General, in lieu of taking the last-mentioned account, shall adopt and use for all the purposes of this Act the account taken under section twenty hereof.

The Registrar-General shall cause to be prepared and printed for the use of and issue to the Enumerators and Sub-Enumerators, and for the use of and issue to the persons appointed to collect the account directed to be taken under section nineteen hereof, such forms and instructions as he from time to time deems necessary for the purpose in taking the said census; and it shall be the duty of the said Enumerators and Sub-Enumerators and other persons to obey such instructions.

All fines under this Act may be recovered summarily in the manner provided by “The Justices of the Peace Act, 1908,” on the complaint of any person duly authorised in writing by the Registrar-General.

This Act does not apply to any Maori, except only at such time and in such places and in such manner as the Governor from time to time directs, and every such direction shall be gazetted.

The three last preceding sections do not apply to the account to be taken under section twenty hereof.