Mr. BORDEN (Halifax).

On what date does the minister expect that the census will Mr. BERNIER.

be completed ? There seems to be a great deal of delay about it, in some places at least. I am aware of houses that were not visited up to the 23rd, and I understand that the census was supposed to have begun on the 1st.

It is a little difficult to say just when the census will be completed. The report which I have generally is, that it is practically completed in the central portions of Canada now. It is true, in some of the cities all the returns from all the enumerators are not yet in the hands of the commissioner ; but, we have to-day 'something like eight times as many returns in as there were received during the whole month of April in the census of 1891. We had yesterday nearly 400 returns sent into the central office, whereas in 1891, during the whole month of April, there were 52 returns sent into the central office. My hon. friend can, therefore, see that the progress of the work has been very much greater than it was at that time. But, in justice to the officers who took the census in 1891, I must say that we have employed a larger number of enumerators-I think about two and a half times as many as were engaged then. We take as the unit for enumeration the polling subdivision, whereas, in 1891, as a general rule, two or three subdivisions were put together. While the work is pretty well completed in the thickly-populated parts of the country, there is a large area of unorganized country and back settlements, even in the older provinces, where the work is progressing very slowly, and it will probably be at least another month before the returns come in from those parts. Therefore, it will be some time before any definite statement can be compiled of the total results of the census generally ; and in speaking even of those results, I only refer to the actual numbers of the people. The tabulation of the numbers of the people is first undertaken, after which we go on with the working out of the return's on other lines. I venture to hope that the work will progress as rapidly as is possible, consistent with due economy and efficiency.

Mr. BORDEN (Halifax).

I saw a statement in the press-I do not know whether it is correct or not-that the census of India, covering a population of about three hundred millions, was taken in fourteen days.

I could not give an opinion on that. I am not aware whether the census of India is a de facto or a de jure census. If a de facto census, which I think it was, it had to be taken in a very much shorter time than a de jure census. In a de facto census all the information is taken on a certain day and the work is distributed among a sufficient number of men to do it all in one day.

Mr. MONK.

Are all the returns in for Montreal ?

No.

Mr. MONK.

La Presse a few days ago stated that a great many houses in Montreal had not been visited at all.

I can assure my hon. friend that no residences have been omitted, but of course we have not all the returns in yet. We have no means of information here as to the exact state of the work until we get the returns. If we find, after reasonable delay, that the returns are not coming in, we will communicate with the commissioner for that district and ask him to hurry them up. We have general reports from the commissioners as to the progress of the work from time to time. The following returns have come in up to the present :

Prom Ontario 229

Quebec 142

New Brunswick 3

Manitoba 8

Nova Scotia 1

Total 383

In 1891 there were only fifty-nine returns brought in during the whole month of April, so that we have 383 returns from forty-eight different counties as compared with fifty-nine in 1891.

Hon. Mr. HAGGART.

Has the hon. member brought down the instructions'issued by Mr. Cot6, particularly in Quebec.

They were laid on the Table the other day.

Hon. Mr. HAGGART.

Do they include Mr. C6t6's letter to the different clergymen of Lower Canada with regard to counting in particular parties belonging to Quebec and residing elsewhere ?

It is on the Table.

ports received this month than were received when the last census was taken. Perhaps the former census was taken in a different way.

No, practically the same way.

Mr. SPROULE.

Is that system likely to give correct information with regard to the actual residences of the parties. Take hotels, is it possible for any one to know at this date who were in the house as far back as the 1st of April ?

That is one of the defects of the de jure system, but the census of Canada have always been taken on that system. In the census of 1891, there were many cases in which the enumerator did not visit the house until almost a month after the date to which the questions referred.

Mr. WALLACE.

The enumerators years ago had the returns in long before the month was up, except in the North-west Territories.

The hon. gentleman is entirely in error. I have my information from the records of the department. The following returns were received in 1891 during the months named :

April, 1891 59

May 1,816

June 1,877

July 625

August 98

September 74

The hon. gentleman is incorrect.