Nov. 2.] THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. 3449

New Zealand Rainfall for September, 1916—continued.

SOUTH ISLAND—continued.

(G.) EAST ASPECT—KAIKOURA TO CAPE SAUNDERS—continued.

Livingstone .. .. 171 5
Arnmore, Windsor .. .. 64 3
Totara Station, near Oamaru .. 64 4
Duntroon .. .. 66 4
Pukeuri, Oamaru .. .. 37 2
Oamaru .. .. 77 3
Steward Settlement, Oamaru .. 52 3
Trotter’s Creek, Hillgrove .. 92 7
Kauroo Hill, Maheno .. 57 4
Balruddery, Kauroo Hill, Maheno .. 59 6
Bushey Park, Palmerston South .. 90 6
Opoho, Dunedin (383 ft.) .. .. ..
Burnside, Dunedin .. .. 146 10
Fish-hatchery, Portobello .. 134 8
Whare Flat .. .. 253 10
Mosgiel .. .. 117 9

(H.) SOUTH ASPECT—CAPE SAUNDERS TO PUYSEGUR POINT.

Paerau .. .. 179 7
Great Moss Swamp, via Patearoa .. 118 10
Eweburn Nursery, Ranfurly .. 134 6
Waipiata .. .. 73 5
Naseby .. .. 180 6
Kokonga .. .. 115 5
Gladbrook Station, Middlemarch .. 192 10
Mount Pisa Station, Cromwell .. 246 5
Maungawera, Otago .. .. 214 7
Luggate, Cromwell .. .. 229 7
Manorburn Dam .. .. 117 7
Queenstown .. .. 436 7
“Craigroy,” Arrowtown .. .. ..
Poolburn, Central Otago .. .. 77 7
Moa Creek .. .. 88 7
Galloway, Alexandra South .. .. ..
St. Bathan’s .. .. 251 11
Blackstone Hill .. .. 266 7
Clyde .. .. 154 7
Roxburgh .. .. ..
“Fruitvale,” Ettrick .. .. 331 7

New Zealand Rainfall for September, 1916—continued.

SOUTH ISLAND—continued.

(H.) SOUTH ASPECT—CAPE SAUNDERS TO PUYSEGUR POINT—continued.

Sunnyvale Orchard, Island Block .. 232 11
Balclutha .. .. 163 11
Owaka .. .. 287 10
Tapanui Nursery .. .. 262 14
Waikawa Valley .. .. 377 12
Wharuarimu .. .. 494 19
Uplands, Waimahaka .. .. 413 16
Roslin Estate, Woodlands .. .. 511 16
Wyndham South .. .. 378 16
Dipton .. .. 450 7
Bluff .. .. ..
Nightcaps .. .. 552 14
Rannock, Orawia .. .. ..
Otautau .. .. 661 16
Riverton .. .. 865 13
Manapouri .. .. 688 14

(I.) ISLANDS.

Centre Island .. .. 687 17
Stewart Island .. .. 873 23
Horse-shoe Bay, Stewart Island .. 940 24
Niue Island .. .. 703 16
Avarua, Rarotonga, Cook Islands .. 547 15
Aitutaki Island, Cook Islands .. 350 13
Mangai'a, Cook Islands .. .. ..
Chatham Island .. .. ..

LATE RETURNS.

Mount Eden, July, 1916 .. .. 823 22
Ngatimaru, August, 1916 .. .. 1094 19
Mangaporau, August, 1916 .. .. 963 20
Bainham, July, 1916 .. .. 2140 15
Puysegur Point, August, 1916 .. 994 23
Gore Bay, August, 1916 .. .. 242 9
Niue Island, August, 1916.. .. 426 12
Avarua, Rarotonga, Cook Islands. 141 16
August, 1916

Estimated Areas under Wheat and Oats, Season 1916–17.

Census and Statistics Office,
Wellington, 1st November, 1916.

IN submitting an estimate of the areas to be sown in wheat and oats this season it is deemed advisable to give the following explanation as to the new system being adopted for the collection of these statistics and as to the method of arriving at the estimates here given.

Formerly the agricultural and pastoral statistics were collected in the spring-time, but in 1916 these statistics were obtained after the harvest; the collections during the past few years were made by means of returns through the post, but in 1916 there was a holding to holding canvass throughout the Dominion by Police officers acting as Sub-Enumerators.

The areas sown or intended to be sown are estimated in the spring-time, the information on which the estimate is based being obtained by issuing cards through the post to every grain-grower of the previous season. Such of these cards as are returned are tabulated, and the proportion which the total areas so returned as sown or intended to be sown bears to the total areas actually reaped in the previous harvest by those persons is applied over the whole areas reaped at the previous harvest, and the result is taken as the estimated area for the ensuing season.

This briefly is the new system which will be continued in future, and the principal differences between it and the previous system are that the actual areas reaped and the actual yields are obtained in the harvest-time, and the areas sown or intended to be sown are estimated in the spring-time, whereas previously the actual areas sown or intended to be sown were obtained in the spring-time and the estimated yields obtained in the harvest-time. The average yields were applied to the areas obtained in the spring, which resulted in the total actual yield for the Dominion being frequently stated inaccurately.

For the estimate now being prepared, cards were sent out by post to 26,000-odd grain-growers in the Dominion asking them to state the areas of wheat and oats which they had sown or proposed to sow for the present season. Of these, over 24,000 cards have been returned to the office and duly tabulated, with the following results :—

In the North Island 19,197 acres were under wheat last year, and cards representing 15,416 acres (or 80 per cent.) of this area have now been returned to the Census and Statistics Office. The growers returning these cards state that they have sown or intend to sow 5,937 acres in wheat this year, and assuming that those growers who have not yet returned their cards sow proportionate areas, the total area in wheat for the 1916–17 season should be 7,395 acres. Treating the figures for oats on the same basis it is estimated that a total of 76,208 acres will be grown this season.

Similarly, in the South Island 316,225 acres were under wheat in 1915–16. Cards representing 92½ per cent. of this area have been returned, and show a proposed 1916–17 area of 195,610 acres. It may, therefore, be assumed that in the South Island a total of 211,482 acres will be sown.

Oats harvested for all purposes in the South Island in 1915–16 covered 518,101 acres, and cards representing 91 per cent. of this acreage have been returned, showing an area of 428,379 acres. The estimated oat area for 1916–17 is therefore 472,318 acres.

The estimates are given in tabulated form below :—

WHEAT AND OATS.—AREAS HARVESTED 1915–16, AND AREAS ESTIMATED AS SOWN OR TO BE SOWN 1916–17.

MALCOLM FRASER,
Government Statistician.