The Evening Star TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1870.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2300, 20 September 1870, Page 2

The Evening Star TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 1870.

By the last mail from the North, we deceived from Mr John B. Bennett, the Registrar-General, a series of statistical tables published “ in anticipation “ of the annual volume of Statistics of “ New Zealand,” Part of it was published for the information of Parliament, but it was not found possible to print the whole in time to be available, oa account of the work absolutely required of the Government Printing Office at Wellington, Statistics are necessarily dry reading ; yet everybody likes to know nearly how the Colony gets on in population, commerce, and wealth, so as to have a general notion of these matters. Avoiding, therefore, prolix details, we avail ourselves of the information before us to give an outline of the progress of the Colony. We cannot boast much of it. The population, according to the Census of 1867, exclusive of the aborigines and soldiery, was 219,032 ; in 1860 it had increased to 226,618 j and at the close of last year ic was estimated at 237,249, or an increase of about 18,217 in two years. The Registrar tells us that only an actual Census can define the distribution of the population, which in all Colonies, and especially in those which are goldcontaining, is more or less migratory. There is another element that works against permanent settlement in a locality. It is said that “ It is not “ good for man to be alone"; but

although there is a goodly number of worthy ladies whose hands aye not nought in marriage in the Colonies —or perhaps we ought to say who have not iccepted the offers made to them-—a .nrge portion of our male population will remain in hopeless celibacy, or seek their companions for life elsewhere, unless the charms of New Zealand induce a rapid immigration of women. Of the 237,249 Colonists, 140,112 are males of all ages, ami only 97,137 females. The disproportion is so very slowly decreasing, that in order to erpiali.se their numbers at the piesent rate, nearly one hundred years will be required ; the increase of femmes during the last year having been 5.08 per cent., and of males 4.0 1 per cent. We are indebted to immigration over emigration for an addition to our population of 3,641. Small as is this addi-tion-from that source, it is 2,rbl more than in the previous year. In the year | 1867 the Colonial population of the two islands was—North Island, 36.58 per cent. ; Middle Island, 63.42 per i cent, of the whole. It will be seen how very little we are indebted to immigration for our increase of population during 'the last two years, and interest will therefore naturally be turned to the tables of marriages, births, and deaths. We think this the most natural order in which to arrange the matter; though, we suppose acting on the alphabetical principle, we always have the tables in the order of births, deaths, and marriages. Following our own plan then, the number of marriages does not speak well for the prosperity of the Colony, as in 1869 there were only 1,931 against 2,085 in 1868. That is, with an addition of 10,000 to our population, there were 154 fewer marriages last year than during the year before. It is not altogether without interest, as a slight index to the religious opinions of the contracting parties, to learn that of the 1,931 couples, 508 were united in holy matrimony by clergymen of the Episcopal Church of England ; by ministers of the Church of Scotland, the Free Church of Scotland, Presbyterian Church of Otago and Southland, and Presbyterian Congregations, 629 ; Roman Catholic Church, 311 ; Wesleyan Methodists, 190 ; Congregational Independents, 49 ; Baptists, 38 ; Primitive : Methodists, 23 ; Lutheran Church, 4 ; Hebrew Congregations, 3 ; United Methodist Free Churches, 8 ; and Christian Brethren, 7. The Registrars only had the privilege of uniting 165 couples. The births during the year were 9,718, of whom 4,875 were hoys and 4,843 girls. This is a slight iu- . crease on the previous year, during which 4,766 boys and 4,625 girls were born. The difference, it will be seen, is in favor of 1869 by 327. The deaths during the year were 2,721 — viz., 1,683 males, and 1,038 females. This is a slight increase on the numberregistered during the previous year, which was only 2,662, of whom 1,631 were males, and 1,0 3 J females. Of the deaths in 1869, there ware 526 boys , and 431 girls under one year of age 108 boys and 101 girls, one and undertwo years old.; 87 hoys and 65 giiils, two and under five: a total of 1,318 — : 721 boys and 597 girls, or 48.43 per ; cent, of the whole number rtf deaths—little short of one-half, under five years of age. This is a fact that suggests inquiry. Surely this sad mortality amongst infants could be to a large : extent prevented by the dissemination of a little sound practical knowledge. This lamentably large proportion is still further increased when we consider that of the remainder of tire deaths 324 were accidental—that is, during the year 11.99 per cent, of the whole number of deaths were not the consequence of disease or natural decay. We cannot help thinking that sound physiological knowledge should be considered one of the most important branches of the education of girls. In the days of chivalry women were physicians and nurses. Thousands of our soldiery have reason to bless the angelic compassion of Florence Nightingale and her companions in the Crimea. But every-day life, if it does not bring these womanly virtues prominently before the world, calls for their constant exercise, and she is able best to perform them who can assign a sufficient reason for her every act, ,