THE CENSUS RETURNS.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3215, 11 May 1911, Page 5

THE CENSUS RETURNS.

WELLINGTON’S EMPTY HOUSES.

STATEMENT BY THE MAYOR

[PEE PEESS ASSOCIATION J

WELLINGTON, May 10. • The census returns of the number of uninhabited dwellings in the city of Wellington and its suburbs were published on 3rd May. They gave the following statistics of dwellings in the city proper, that is, Greater Welington, excluding Miramar, Onslow, and Karori, and other adjacent suburban boroughs: L.habited, 13,963; uninhabited, 938; in course of erection, 79 ; ‘total dwellings, 14,980. Feeling that the position was not correctly stated in these figures, the Mayor (Mr T. M. Wilford) gave instructions to the chief sanitary’ inspector (Mr James Dayle) to have a complete inspection, made of every 7 street in the cilty and suburbs comprising Greater WV.ington, and an exhaustive count taken of all empty dwelling-houses. Hit object was to ascertain whether the Census Department’s statistics relating to Wellington in this respect were accurate. Yesterday 7 Mr Doyle furnished Mir Wulford with a statement. The different- streets of the city were specified and the number of empty houses in each of the outlying districts was also tabulated. In all 30S streets were inspected and the whole city covered, with the exception of the purely centre of the city. The reports show that the number of uninhabited dwellings is 490, including 167 in the outlying districts. In furnishing this statement to a “Post” representative,the Mayor added that that showed unquestionably that the census returns were statistically incorrect, misleading, and utterly 7 worthless in respect of the empty houses m Wellington. Mr Doyle would be qhite prepared to meet any representative of the Census Department who doubted these figures, and prove that in this particular the census returns were wrong. “You may sav,” concluded Mr. Milford, “that this report will for ever settle the question of empty houses as far as the city of Wellingon is concerned ; and in regard to many of the empty dwellings, Mr say 7 s they can only be described politely as of an antique type. The up-to-date liou.c, with modern conveniences, is not. empty. One citizen who owns 200 houses in the city declares that only eight of them are unoccupied. When the whole number of emptv bouses is "taken. 490 out of 13,054 dwellings, it amounts to less than 4 per cent., which surely cannot he regarded as very extraordinary or of alarming proportions. Citizens will feel reassured.” FURTHER COUNTRY RETURNS. [PEE PEESS ASSOCIATIONS WELLINGTON, May 10. From a- further batch of census totals forwarded to the Minister of Internal Affairs (the Hon. D. Buddo). the follow-

Mauriceville County, with a population of 10S9 in 1906 is returned at the latest census as 950, a reduction of 139.

ing country results are extracted : — 1911. 1906. Increase Rotorua ... 3626 2657 969 Patangata ... 1935 1S43 92 Poll angina. ... 1799 1797 2