82 



Transactions. — Miscellaneous. 



each year of age ending in 5 or and compares them with 

 the means of the numbers returned for the two neighbouring 

 ages in each case. The percentages of excess are then given. 



Table U. — Veracity of Census Returns op Age. 



It will be noticed in this table that in every case, except 

 for the age of 20, there is a diminution in the percentage 

 of excess, that in the majority of cases this diminution is con- 

 siderable, and that in the one case in which there is an in- 

 crease the excess in both censuses is only very small. Such 

 small excesses, moreover, should be ignored, as they are no 

 greater than the variations in the annual number of births. 



The above is but a rough method of dealing with the ques- 

 tion, but it is really sufficient for the purpose in hand, as the 

 reductions are so considerable. As, however, the excess is 

 measured for any year from the mean of the recorded popula- 

 tions of the two neighbouring years, which are themselves 

 less than the true populations of those years, the excess 

 obtained is not the excess of the recorded population over the 

 irue population for the year of age under consideration, but 

 is considerably greater than it. The diminution of the one 

 excess involves, however, a somewhat proportional diminution 

 in tlie other, and so tlie above argument is not vitiated, 

 although we must not take the percentages of Table II. as 

 measuring the proportion of erroneous returns for the several 

 years of age. 



