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Hokitika Guardian, 17 March 1922, Page 2

Taking the Dominion as a whole, it has 11.80 persons to the square mile, the North Island having 16.79 and the South 8.07. Population for the past quarter of a century has congregated most densely in the Wellington provincial district, which had last year 23.02 persons to the square mile, compared with 14.57 in Auckland province 16.59 in Taranaki, 14.36 in Hawke’s Bay, the same number in Canterbury and 9.80 in 'Otago*. Two provincial districts showed a decline in population in the previous decade Westland falling from 3.22 in 1911, to 2.91 per square mile, and Nelson from 4.40 to 4.38 There is ;>n enormous disparity between the density of population in different edgnties. Thus Eden possesses 4457 people to every square mile, and Heath cote 3754, while East Taupe, lying between .Rotorua and, Rangitikoi, has only 0.31, Stewart Island 0.60, Lake County 0.73, Murchison 0.83, Amuri 089, and Tnwera 0.97. Fiord County which includes most of the W ost Coast sounds, has a total population of only 12. The physical characteristics of a district have, of course, a powerful influence on density of population, and large areas of the Dominion, especially of the South Island, are of such a nature as will never allow thorn to carry a large population. Nevertheless there is ample room in New Zealand for a vastly larger population than it now supports. Finally, it may he 1 noted that the female population is gradually overhauling the male population. Sixty years ago there were only 622 females to every 1000 males, twenty years lnte r there were 817, in 1901 the number had increased to 903, and though in 1911 it had dropped to 896 last- year it was 956. The fact- that in 1916 there were 993 females to 1000 males was due to the war. The lowest proportion of females in any province is in Westland, 875.6; the highest in Otago, 1023.2, while Canterbury also shows a slight preponderance of females with 1012.8 to 1000 males, facts which indicate the trend of population, especially on the part of young men, to the North Island,