PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION F. 581 
The division of the colony into districts suitable for the census- 
taking should be done upon a definite principle. In Victoria, 
and, I believe, in most of the other colonies, it is the practice to 
have superintending collectors, called “‘enumerators,” and working 
collectors, called ‘‘sub-enumerators,” the districts assigned to the 
former being arranged in the central office, whilst those of the 
latter are planned by the enumerators. 
For the enumerators’ districts the whole colony should be 
mapped out, no portion of it being omitted under the assumption 
of its being uninhabited. In forming these districts the principal 
objects to be kept in view are, first, that each district should be 
of such an extent, having regard to the work to be done, as to be 
readily under the control of its enumerator; secondly, that its 
boundary lines should, where possible, coincide with the boundaries 
of existing districts, such as counties, electorates, municipalities, 
&e. ; and thirdly, that its boundaries should be well defined, and 
easily discoverable on the ground. 
The formation of the sub-enumerators’ districts (or sub-districts 
as they are usually called) is, as has been stated, left to the 
enumerator, but subject to instructions from the central office. 
At the last census of Victoria these instructions were to the effect 
that, unless under exceptional circumstances, each sub-district 
should be of such a size as to permit the work of enumeration to 
be performed in three days, viz., one day for depositing and two 
days for collecting the schedules ; that in towns, where the 
dwellings were close together, a sub-district might contain from 
150 to 200 inhabited houses ; in suburban districts, villages, and 
goldfields, where the dwellings were not so near to one another 
as in a closely-built town, it might contain from 100 to 150 such 
houses ; in the more settled agricultural districts, where not more 
than half a mile intervened between a dwelling and the next 
nearest, it might contain from 50 to 100; and in scattered agri- 
cultural districts, where intervals of two miles or upwards 
sometimes occurred between two dwellings, less than 50 might be 
allowed. In laying out pastoral and other widely-scattered 
districts the enumerator was enjoined to use his own judgment, 
both as regards the number of habitations in a sub-district and 
the time to be allowed for the enumeration. 
I may observe that, probably for the sake of saving themselves 
trouble, and sometimes, no doubt, from the desire to give the 
sub-enumerators—perhaps their own relatives or friends—an 
opportunity of drawing as much money as possible, the general 
tendency of enumerators is to make the sub-districts too large, 
thus causing the work to extend over a longer period than is 
desirable. This should not be permitted, as from the fact of 
population being always on the move, it is an ascertained fact 
that the longer the time which is taken over the collection of a 
census the less accurate it is likely to be. 
