ON OFFICIAL STATISTICS. 423 



difficulty wliilst the schedules are in hand, it seems desirable it 

 should be obtained in all the colonies when next the census is 

 taken. 



It being important to find out the relative fatality attending 

 various occupations, it is desirable from time to time to compare 

 the number of deaths of persons of ditierent callings with the 

 number of those living pursing the same callings. This can only 

 be done accurately when the results of a census have enabled the 

 latter to be ascei'tained correctly, and in my opinion it ought to 

 be done whenever a census is taken. Such a computation was 

 made by me for the tirst time in Victoria, and, I believe, the 

 only time in Australia after the census of 1881 ; the census 

 year, and the j-ear immediately preceding and immediately follow- 

 ing it being taken as those in which the deaths occurred, which I 

 used for comparison with the census numbers. The results which 

 are exceedingly interesting, will be found in the Victorian Year 

 Book for 1883-4r, and in that work for the following year, in the 

 latter of which the occupations of those who died of phthisis are 

 also given. I may observe that some caution is necessary in 

 acceptiiig all the results, by reason of the fact that the occupations 

 at the census, being returned by the persons actually following 

 them, are likely to be more precisely defined than those returned 

 by other persons after their death. Thus, according to my calcu- 

 lations, death appeared to press more hardly upon labourers 

 (undefined), than upon followers of any other calling : but this no 

 doubt largely resulted from the fact that the branch of labour 

 followed by many of these, though defined at the census — as for 

 example, store labourers, wharf labourers, road or railway 

 labourers, farm or station labourers — was not stated after death. 

 Upon the same principle, the moi^tality was apparently high of en- 

 gineers, engine-drivers, and stokers (undefined), resulting no doubt 

 from the fact that, at the census, many of these were returned in 

 connexion with vessels, railways, or mechanical engineering. Clerks 

 (undefined) also showed a high apparent death rate ; the reason 

 doubtless Ijeing that many who died and were simply returned as 

 clerks, at the census had been returned as law clerks. Government 

 clerks, railway clei'ks, ttc. 



Jn more than one of the colonies, no attempt was made to 

 distingnish the Chinese, and such of the aborigines as were 

 enumerated, from the remainder of the population. These two 

 peoples being so different from the other colonists in almost every 

 respect, it needs little argument to show that they ought to be 

 tabulated separately under every head of enquiry. It will readily 

 be understood that a large number of Pagans (Chinese) or of persons 

 set down as of no religion (aboriginals), lowers the proportion to 

 the total population of each of the religions of persons of European 

 birth or extraction, respecting whom it is especially intended that 

 the census should give information. In like manner the returns 



