Censuses.—The first Census, taken in the Hyderabad State synchro-nously With the rest of India, was on the 17th February 1881. On that occasion only the statistical tables were prepared, but no report was written. The second Census was taken on the 26th February 1891, and, for the first time, a Report on the Census was published besides the volume containing tables. The third and fourth censuses were taken on the 1st March 1901 and 10th March 1911, respectively. Thus, the present Census is the fifth of its kind in the State. The 18th March 1921 was the day fixed for the final enumeration.

General Arrangements.—In the absence of the Administrative Volume of the last Census Report, some difficulty was felt at the outset in finding out what general arrangements were actually made last time to get through the census work as satisfactorily as possible. It was found necessary to wade through a number of old files, with a view to arriving at a definite plan of work. However, the various notes and instructions issued from time to time by the Census Commissioner for India threw much light on the matter and facilitated the arrangements a great deal. The Administrative Volume to be published this time will give a detailed account of the machinery, by which the census work was managed, and the methods of enumeration and tabulation followed at the present Census. It would, therefore, suffice to give here an epitome of the main features of the census operations.

To start with, the village list was revised and brought up-to-date. The State Census Code containing instructions for the taking of the Census was prepared and copies of the same were supplied to the Officers concerned chapter by chapter as necessity arose. Instructions on points not provided for in the Code were communicated by means of circulars and manuals. The State Census Act, which gave legal authority for all the operations connected with the Census, was passed by the State Legislature.

Census forms such as schedules, house, block and circle lists ; district, charge and circle summaries ; enumeration tickets, slips, etc. were printed in five different languages and supplied in sufficient quantities. To ensure adequate attention being paid to the successive stages in census operations in good time, a Census Calendar was issued in the first week of July 1920, showing the chain of operations to be completed till the end of the 25th March 1921. This was also meant to keep a strict watch on the working of the operations, and the District Officers were instructed to send in fortnightly progress reports in the prescribed form, printed copies Of which were supplied in adequate number by the central office.