MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1486, 8 July 1912, Page 2

MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE.

.;" AUSTRALIAN CENSUS FACTS, Out of 1,315,551 porsons in Victoria at tho taking of the census on April 3, 1911, as many as 817,461 were described as "nover married," 428,215 wero married, 67,336 widowed, 1240 divorced, and 1290 did not state whether they wore married! unmarried, or divorced. The divorce figures Wero highest for New South AValcs, in which the number of persons was 2420, while in Queensland there wero 299, in South Australia 155, in Western Australia, 290, and in Tasmania 93. In tho Northern Territory one person only wns divorced, and in the Federal capital area there wero two. Tho "never married" figures might seem astonishing, but out of them 180,275 males and 181,279 females in Victoria wero under fourteen years, and a largo proportion was under 20 years of age. One married male was only 14 years of age, four were 10 years 01d,'57 were 18 years, and 137 wero 10 years. Thero wero six married females aged 15 years, 12 aged IG, 1-1 aged 17, 21G aged 18, and 501 aged 10. The youngest widow was 15 years old, and there were two widowers at 20, while the earliest divorces wero secured at 20 years of ago in six instances. In Melbourne thero wero 316 males divorced, and 475 females. Tho following is a comparative statement of the population of the Commonwealth at the censuses of 1901 and 1011, classified according to.conjugal condition and sex-.— Males. i 1901. 1911. Increase Never married 1,318,4 m 1,506,877 158,387 Married 563,019 735,849 171,030 Widowed 56,830 63,675 0,845 Divorced 1,228 2,300 1,132 Not stated .... 7,161 4,274 -3,187 Totals 1,977,028 2,313,035 335,107 Females. 1901. 1911. Increaso Never married 1,116,473 1,27G,GG6 160,103 Married : 508,340 733,773 165,433 Widowed 106,940 128.0G8 21,119 Divorced 1.147 2,140 003 Not stated 2.9G4 1,323 -1,041 Totals ...... 1,795,873 2,141,970 316,097