TOTAL PRODUCTION.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 10 September 1924, Page 7

TOTAL PRODUCTION.

AUSTRALIA’S GROWING POPULATION, OFFICIAL STATISTICS.

According to the quarterly summary of Australian statistics, prepared by the Commonwealth Statistician (Mr C. H. Wickens], the population of Australia was 5,7 V /,262 at March 31, the increase since December 31, 1923, being 2/,405. made-up of excess of births over deaths 20,161, and of immigration over emigration 7294. The births in, Australia during the March quarter ivere 33,407, deaths 13,300 (including 2199 children under one year of and marriages 33,407. The area in Australia under all jiops during 1922-23 totalled 16,543,550 actes, and the area under wheat during 1923-24 is 9,497,911 acres, estimated to yield 125,054,495 bushels. The number of sheep, cattle, horses and pigs in Australia at December 31, 1922. were 78,803,261, 14,336,673, 2,390,000, and 985,930, respectively. The total value of the production of all industries during 1922-23 amounted to, £382,208,000. The tonnage of oversea shipping that entered Australia during the nine months ended March 31, 1924, totalled ■i,£42,534 tons, and that cleared 3,785,027 tons. The oversea trade for 1923-24 amounted to £260,137,260, of which £140,569,853 represented imports and £119,567,407 exports, the excess of imports over exports being £21,002,446. The liabilities of the cheque-paying banks for the quarter ended March 31. 1924, were £322,856,932, of which £315,781,186 were deposits, and the assets wore £342,628,598. The number of Savings Bank accounts open at the same date was i. 742,281, and the amount on. deposit was £167,932,706, representing £44 17s 6d per account open and £29 Is 4d per bead of population. The revenue of Government railways for the nine months ended March 31, 1924, amounted to £31,058,000, and the expenditure to £22,867,000. The passenger journeys during this period numbered 276,507,000. According to returns received from 407 unions, with a membership of 394,809, there were 32,708 unemployed during the. second quarter of 1924. During 1923 there were 274 industrial disputes, involving. 76,321 work people, with an estimated loss in wages of £1,275,506.