Progress of the Province.

Cromwell Argus, Volume IV, Issue 178, 8 April 1873, Page 6

Progress of the Province.

On Monday, March 24, the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Province, the Dnnedin Star has an article noting progress, which was compiled with the aid of an early number of the first Otago newspaper, the Otago News. We extract the following : " Before concluding with a notice of the first anniversary, we will briefly compare Otago in 1848-9 with what it is in 1873. In 1848 there were 84 married men and 102 single ; total, 276. Married women, 78; single do, 131 ; total, 209—grand t >tal, 485. Of these 168 belonged to the Church of England, 19 were Wesleyan, 275 Free Church, 19 Roman Catholic, and 4 non-sectarian. When the census was last taken in 1871, the population consisted of 41,691 men and 27,800 women, making a total of 62,401. ing the religious denominations it will be sufficient to state that there are about fory different congregations in connection witi the Presbyterian Church, about a dozen ii connection with the Church of England, an I about the same number of Roman Catholics; some si'S or seven Wesleyan, three Congregational charges, one Baptist, one Jewish Synigogue, and several nondescripts. In 18 9 there was one Sunday School, having a to al attendance of 34 boys aid girls, and one public day school with an attendance of 36 bo.-s and 34 girls. At the end of 1871, according to Mr Hislop's last published report, there were 116 elementary schools, in which 175 teachers were employed. To these, 116 schools have to be added five grammar schools, a High school, a University, and several private teaching establishments. The average attendance during 1871 at the public educational establishments was about 7000 children. In 1848 the Customs revenue was returned at £824, and in 1849 at £1159 ; while for last financial year it yielded no less a sum than £233,785, the exports being valued at something over two millions of money. In 1849, the agricultural statistics showed that the land then under crop amounted to 284 acres; the number of horses in the Province to be 110; horned cattle 880; and sheep, 17,597. Corresponding returns for 1873 show that the number of holdings were 3,705, comprising 305,1411 acres in wheat, oats, birley, and potatoes. When the census returns were taken in 1871, there were—horses, 25,804; mules and asses, 30 ; cattle, 143,60.); and sheep, 3,731,445."