THE ABORIGINES.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 December 1924, Page 3

THE ABORIGINES.

FAST DYING RACK. MELBOURNE, Nov. 11. It is generally admitted that the aborigines of Australia are a dying race, and their fate has been settled by contact with the white man. When tho Kuropcans first came to Australia in 1788 there were about lot).000 natives, which is extraordinarily few when it is remembered that they had been in tho country probably for 100.OIK) years. There used to be some controversy as to the origin of the Australian aboriginals, but this has ended now, and it is generally accepted that in the early Pleistocene or late Pliocene age tliev first came here over a land bridge- connect in" Australia with Asia. Later another black race came across, and a fusion with the earlier inhabitants resulted, except in the case ol the Tasmanians, who by this time had been separated from the mainland In 1871 it was estimated that there were 12,983 aboriginals in New South AVales Bv 1801 these had dwindled lo f»007 and at tho 11)21 census the number was 1,107. Victoria had 2:181 in 1881, but bv 1801 they had been re-

duced to 317, and ... 1021 there wore but lit. The estimate of blacks m South Australia in 1881 was 03-115. Now it is 1000, and these are practically con lined to the extreme northern area. "Western Australia showed the gi cutest number of blacks in the 1921 census, when 15,087 was the estimated number. The figure had never been so high before, but that is due to the fact that they were increasing. The more \\ est*cru Australia is opened up the more blacks are discovered. It is in the nnd north-west that they llom-

isl, Tasmania lias no blacks now. and the estimate for the Northern lerritorv is 17.3-19. whereas it used to he 2!),(>no to 30.000. It is considered that the total number of aborigines in Australia at present is more likely to he under 80.000 than over. On the other hand, the mnnlter ol lialf-cnstes is increasing, especially in those parts where the black population is large. It is estimated that the number of half-castes in Australia lias increased bv about 2000 in the past ten

years, and there is every prospect oi "the increase being maintained. 1 1,0 linlf-cnste problem is most acute m "Western Australia, northern* South A ustraiia and the Northern Territory. At the 1911 census the number of Imlfcastes in Australia was 9878. and at 1921 it had increased to 11,579. The prospect of preserving the nborigines is more hopeful than it used to he. Efforts are being made to prevent - the blacks from dying out, and it has now been demonstrated that these can be successful if the natives are controlled from childhood.