The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, JULY 15, 1890. Statistics

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 12, 15 July 1890, Page 2

The Feilding Star. TUESDAY, JULY 15, 1890. Statistics

Notwithstanding the exodus of ablebodied men from tbe colony, of which we hear bo much, the figures supplied by the Registrar-General go far to prove $hat the population is steadily increasing, Although the subject is, as a rule, particularly dry reading, yet we wjll endeavor to place before our readers some of the information anent the population and vital statistics of New Zealand in such a manner as -to make them agreeable and inter-

estiag. Iv 1 880 the males and females in the North Island numbered respectively 99,609 and 84,121, total 183,---63 0; in the South Island, 168,755 males, 132,479 females, total 301,234. Ten years later, iv 1889, they numbered in the North Island 144,860 males, 125,434 females, total 270,300 ; and at the same date in the middle, Stewart and Chatham Islands 186,905 males, 163,074 females, total 349,979. The grand total for thecoiouyin 1880 were 268,364 males, 216,500 females, total 484,864 ; and for the year 1889, males, 331,771; females, 288,508; total, 620,279. For the year 1889 the excess of immigration over emigration was 214, and the excess of births over deaths 12,685, making v total increase of 128,990. Every Provincial District shows an increase except Weatland where the population has fallen from 17,150 in 1880 to 16,669 in 1889. It is notable in this instance that the decrease is in the number of males, who were 10,337 in 1888 and only 9638 in 1889, while the females in 1880 were 6813 and in 1880 totalled 7031, an increase of 218. An exodus from a n>ining district, of the men, has no special signification. In the Chatham Island the increase for the ten years was only from 210 to 218. In the year 1889 there were registered 18,457 births; 3632 marriages and 5772 deaths. In the table showing the ages of persons married we find that seven wives were married between 15 and 16 years of age, two at from 60 to 65 years, three from 65 to 70 years. The most popular ages seem to be between 21 and 25 years, because 1598 then changed their condition. Seven men were married between the ages of 18 and 19 years, and six men aged 70 and upwards, j Most of the men appear to marry when they are between 25 and 30 yearn, as 1243 were registered between these ages. The following table shows the mean population in each Provincial District in 1889, and the area in statute acres : — Population Acres Auckland 137,790 16,477,700 Taranaki... ... 19,505 2,117,880 Hawkesßay ... 26,619 2,822,800 Wellington ... 83,349 7,042,000 Marlborough ... 11,989 3,041,670 Nelson 31,694 6,572,100 Westland 16,530 2,970,600 Canterbury ... 128,962 8,985,400 Ofcago 157.177 16,311,700 From these extracts it will be seen that New Zealnnd is steadily increasing in population.