AUSTRALIAN. NEWS

Hokitika Guardian, 5 January 1926, Page 3

AUSTRALIAN. NEWS

[Australia & N.Z. Cable Association..!

SYDNEY’S CLAIM

SECOND CITY OF EMPIRE

SYDNEY, December 24

Sydney has awakened to the proud fact, based on an analysis of the position in one of her morning newspapers, that if her metropolitan population were more equitably calculated, she would stand to-day, taking population, as the Empire’s second white city. Second, that is, only to London, for her actual metropolitan population is shown to he greater than that of Glasgow, which, in the official tabulations, is the second city of the United Kingdom. According to the Year books, lor the year ended December 91st, 1821, Sydney’s population is given as 1,020,070. Tho fact is, however, that Sydney’s metropolitan population is considerably larger than the official figures indicate. For some remarkable reason, Sydney includes in her metropolitan count an area of only 118,299 acres, which leaves out many densely-populated suburban areas that are actually part of the throbbing and ever-growing metropolis. Tho non-inclusion of these places, it appears dates back to the good old days when they were regarded as counTy vilagcs, and not, as they now are, as part and parcel of the metropolis. The true position, on a. proper basis, would give Sydney a. population of 1.113,890, compared with 885,700 in Melbourne, and with a population in Glasgow for 1921 of 1.051.000. What is termed the true population count of Sydney covers approximately the same area as Melbourne, viz.. 163,3(50 acres. Syndey likes to bo quite lair to Melbourne in these matters, but it may be added that there are still left out of her calculation the towns in three very large metropolitan shires.

KILLED BY LIGHTNING. (Received this day at 9-30 a.mA SYDNEY, January 5. A party of six telegraph linesmen in Kaaiigaroo Valley . sheltered under a tree during tho thunder storm and were struck by lightning, two, Roach and Taper being killed. Two were badly burned. AUSTRALIAN FINANCE. SYDNEY. January 5. The New South Wales revenue for the half year ended 31st December, amounted to £178,837.000, an increase of £76,000 over the previous corresponding period. BRISBANE, January o. The revenue returns for the half year show the expenditure exceeded the revenue by £939,000. . MELBOURNE, January 5. The Customs revenue for the half year totalled £17,858,000, whie his a million and a quarter above the estimate.