OUR POPULATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2811, 29 January 1908, Page 16

OUR POPULATION.

HOW THE DOMINION GROWS. ,The last issue of the Gazette contains the tables of statistics compiled by Mr-E. J. yon Dadelsz'en, Hegistrar-gerieral,- showing the 'number of arrivals, in, and --departures from New Zealand during the year 1907. Comparative tables for the previous nine years are .also, given. The arrivals in the Dominion last year,. (36,108) were less than the number recorded . in 1906; (39,233), " and the departures during' 1907, .which numbered 30,378, were greater than those in. the previous year — viz., 26,385. The ex-cess-of arrivals 'Over departures last year was 5730, against" 12,84-8 .in -ISO 6. The Ex : hibition of 1906-7 caused considerably more arrivals in the latter part of the year 19G0 than in the corresponding portion of 1907, and the 'departures in the first four months of 1907 ' exceeded those in 1905 for the. same reason. S More than this.- the interchange of. people between New Zealand and the Commonwealth of Australia has been more equal .during last year than in' 1906. as shown above, though New Zealand still gained 1063 persons after deducting departure? to the continent. The number of departures for ether British "possessions inISO 7 (659) consists mainly of persons who left for British Columbia. The comparative tables show that tho Dominion has drawn to itself in each of the ten years 1893°t0 1907 mere population than it has parted with. The figures mndcr the heading "United Kingdom!" for 1907 show an excess of 5C03 arrivals over the departures ; from Australian States there is an excess of 1068, and to o(her countries a. loss of 3*l. Of the* 36.108 persons who rame to New Zealand last year, 3762, or 10.42 per cent of the total, were children — > i.e., unrfei; twelve years of age; and of the 30.378 departures the children numbered 2537, or &.51- per cent. The following" table,, giving the movements of population , for the years from • 1898 to ISO 7, will be of interest: —

Arrivals. LB2B . . 18 855 1399 . . . 18.506 L9OO . . 18.074.901 .. . 25,086 L 902 . 30,295 1903 .... 30,885 L 90- . .;. 32,632 L 905 ..r., 32,685 L 906 ... .-. 39,233 L 907 "«6.108 Excess o£ arrivals . .over depaj"Departures. • tures.l . .'. 16,159 ..*. .2,696 . - 16,619 ...-;.. < 1,887 16,243 w . - 1,831 18.564 .... ,i. 6,522 ? 22,301 ■.' . ,7,982 ..i " 19,608 .. 11,275 •\ . 22,227 . . 10,355 • . 23,333 \ l 9,302 ... 26,385 -. 12,848--30,378 5.730