fan out across the Island in a bid to profile Bermuda at the dawn of the 21st Century.

At last report, Chief Statistician Janet Smith-Bradshaw said recruitment for census takers was coming along, with around 300 people already set to receive training in the information gathering business. Enumerators, are scheduled to begin their Island-wide blitz on May 21.

And one of the many questions asked will touch on the issue of race. On this year's questionnaire, residents will be presented with eight choices; black, white, Asian, black and white, black and other, white and other, other and "not stated''.

In contrast, this year's census in the US will ask people to mark one or more of 14 boxes, representing six races - white, black, American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian Indian, other Asian, Pacific Islander or "some other race'' -- offering 63 possible combinations.

To that end, a story in the New York Times last week profiled Harlem resident Michael Gelobter, the son of a black-Bermudian mother and a white Jewish father, who said, despite the wide-array of choices, he would only claim one race on this year's census form: black.

While attributing part of the reason for this to human habit, the article added another probable cause was the desire among minority groups to stand up and be counted in the compilation of statistics on which the government could base many important decisions in years to come.

Mrs. Smith-Bradshaw said she thought the situation in Bermuda was different because, in the US, the allocation of certain funds to minority advancement organisations, such as the N.A.A.C.P., depends very much on numbers.

She explained the reasons behind racial data being collected here was to "find out the differences which exist between the races in terms of areas such as income levels and education.

"Such information helps the Government to assist the community in redressing the inequities that exist, through agencies such as Commission for Unity and Racial Equality (CURE).'' But the definition, and therefore importance of the term "race'' varies among individuals.

"It's a very difficult question and I think race is more a state of mind than anything else,'' said PLP Senator Calvin Smith.

The former Chief Statistician questioned how much meaning the information collected about race in the census would have.

"In the US, the questions of race are related to affirmative action,'' he said. "But here, because black people are not in the minority, I think the information collected on race has less significance.'' CHART OF RACIAL COMPOSITION OF TOTAL POPULATION 1991 STATS OFFICE NOW AT GLOBAL HOUSE Stats office now at Global House The Government Statistics office has moved from Global House to new offices in the Cedarparkade building. The move from the Government building at Church Street to the third Floor at 48 Cedar Avenue includes the Census 2000 office.