The Hawke's Bay Times. THURSDAY, 1st NOVEMBER, 1866. STATISTICS OF NEW ZEALAND.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 8, Issue 434, 1 November 1866, Page 2

The Hawke's Bay Times.

THURSDAY, Ist NOVEMBER, 1866. STATISTICS OF NEW ZEALAND.

PUBLISHED EVERT ?I(>HDAt AND THDBSDAT. “NDIAID3 ADDICTDS J DBASE IN VERBA MAGISTEI."

Bx the courtesy of the Registrar-General, we have received the volume of statistics for the year 1865, compiled from the official records. The volume is a large one, and contains a vast fund of information on all subjects of importance to those who watch the progress of the Colony, and will be found interesting to persons of a statistical turn of mind. It consists of sixty-one extensive tables, besides nine comparative meterological tables: in all seventy. Some of these—as No 18 for instance, which is a table showing the quantity and value of imports at the several ports of the Colony—extend over several pages, and show what an amount of labor has been expended in the compilation of this valu able work. Four divisions of these tables, however, had been previously forwarded to the Premier, and placed in the hands of the legislature. These were noticed by us at the time they came to hand, and comprised the estimated population, with the data on which it was founded, for the several provinces ; the trade and interchange, including shipping, and imports and exports ; a series of tables relating to the postal service, &c. We shall not, on the present occasion, have space to do more than glance at the several departments of information here given, but shall, as occasion serves, return to the subject again—contenting ourselves now with referring to the general view of its contents, as given in the introductory chapter by the Registrar-General himself. POPULATION. First, then, as regards population. Table 1; This table is founded on the census taken on the night of the Ist December, 1664, to which is added the excess of births over deaths, and of immigration over emigration for the year 1865, and stands for the colony as follows, exclusive of military and their families:—

Census, Ist December, 1864 ... 172,158 Corrected to 31st December ... 173 gxs Add excess of Births 4,680 Add excess of Immigration... ... 12,309 190,607 —Of which number 117,376 were males, and 73,231 females, being an increase of 9*31 per cent, on the whole population. Table 2 shews the immigration and emigration during the year, with the excess of the former over the latter, for the principal ports of the Colony. The excess for the Be* provinces are—Auckland 6,093 Taranaki' 13 Wellington 509 Hawke’s Bay ai Nelson 739 Canterbury 5^5 Marlborough 3 —While the decrease is as follows Otago 333 Southland 205 —Thus it will be seen that for each of the provinces except Otago and Southland there has been an excess of immigration, of which Auckland shews the highest number, and Marlborough the least-*-the total being 12,009; while, from the provinces of Otago and Southland, there had been an excess of emigration of 557. These numbers do not include arrivals from and departures for other provinces within the Colony, the derails of which are given in a distinct table, Nols. EIBTHS AND DEATHS. Tables Nos, 4 and 5, show the number of births and deaths for the year, and a comparison with those of proceeding years; there is, however, a source of error in these from unregistered -births; of. which there are some, though from the increased facilities for registration that now exist, not so many as in former years, There were 7,490 births registered, of which 2,847 were males, and 8,643 females, being a total increase of 989 registered births, oyer those of 1864, • ’

The registered deaths were 2,757, 1,658 of which were of Jmales and 1,092 females, , being a decrease from those registered in' the previous year of 1864—100 males and 64 females. There had been 151 cases of death by drowning during the year, and no less than 601 during the past eight years from the same cause; the proportion being about 5 per cent, of the total deaths from all causes. maebiages. Tables Nos. 6 and 7 relate to marraiges, of which there were 1,908 solemnised during the year—an increase over those of the year preceding of 30. Of these 150 were solemnised before the registrars, 508 by Church of England ministers, 652 by Presbyterians, &c., 258 by Roman Catholics, 181 Wesleyans, 86 Congregational, 37 Baptists, 32 Primitive Methodists, 2 Lutherans, and 2 Hebrews. TEADE AKD COITIIEECE. Tables 8 to 13 relate to shipping, and show that 862 vessels entered inwards, and 783 cleared outwards being a decrease from the previous year, inwards of 255, and outwards of 306. We shall defer our more detailed notice of this part of the volume until we can enter more fully into a matter of such importance— merely noticing now that, as regards our own port, there were 14 arrivals from beyond seas, with cargoes, of a total tonnage of 3,477, and crews of 169 ; while the clearances of vessels were 8, 1,921 tons, and 90 of crew; and in ballast 4,1,061 tons, 39 crew; —making a total for the port of 12 vessels, 2,982 tons, and 129 crew. Tables 14 to 18 show the value of the imports and exports for the several ports of the Colony, with comparative statements of increase or decrease over the proceeding year. The total imports for the Colony was .£5,594,977 being a decrease of .£1,405,678, or rather over twenty per cent. This decrease, however, did not take place throughout the Colony; but was greatest in Southland, where it was nearly as much as 78 per cent., and least in Hawke’s Bay, where it was but 10| per cent.; while in Wellington, Nelson and Canterbury, there was an increase of about 40—4, 3, and 2 per cent, respectively. The decrease classified shows .£652,180 from the United Kingdom, £883,629 from British Colonies ; and there was an increase from foreign states of £130,131.

Of exports, the total value was .£3,713,218 —an increase over the preceding year of £311,551, or rather over nine per cent. Of New Zealand produce, the total value was £3,503,421 —an increase of nearly fifteen per cent.—of which the two principal items were gold and wool; of the former £2,226,374 —nearly twenty per cent, increase of about 61 per cent. The other articles produced and exported were grain, kauri gum, oil, potatoes and timber, EETENIJE. Tables 31 to 37 are devoted, to the revenue. The Customs revenue for the year amounted to £730,008, an increase of 23| over the last year. The total ordinary revenue of the Colony was £936,945, an increase of nearly 15 per cent.; and the territorial £500,045, a decrease of about 30 per cont., —making together a total revenue of £1,436,990, a decrease of some 6 per cent, on that of the preceding year, owing to the fluctuating nature of the territorial branch of revenue. These tables show in detail the incomes and expenditure of the General and Provincial Governments, and other relative matters; and table 36 a minute analysis of the funded debt of both General and Provincial Governments, Tables 38 to 41 are devoted joint stock companies and land sales ; and 42 shews the prices of provisions and live stock in the several Provinces. , rosiAii, &c. It is no long time since we referred in detail to the information afforded by tables 43 to 49, as these were amongst those that came to hand during the session of the Assembly j and we shall not stay to go over the

same ground again, but shall have something more to say on the subject at another time. The legal and criminal statistics occupy ten tables, from 49 to 59 ; 60 shows the statistics of the several savings banks ; 61 of the public schools.; and the appendix from A to I consists of meterological tables, including a comparative view of the climate at eight of the nine meterological stations—the ninth (Napier) not having forwarded the requisite returns.

These tables are more extended and elabor ate than any before published, “ and show ” says Mr Bennett, “an advance upon the information of 1864 as marked and gratifying as that of 1864 was in comparison with 1863,” It would be hard to over-estimate the value of the information contained in these tables, on the deductions that might be drawn from them by a practical meteorologician, such as was the late Captain Fitzroy, whose labors in this direction conferred such great benefit on the world at large.