MOVEMENT OF POPULATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2814, 19 February 1908, Page 39

MOVEMENT OF POPULATION.

The Registrar-general has issued a table showing the movement — i.e., the increase — j of the population of the Dominion during I the last fi\e years. It is as follows: —

The foregoing figures exclude Maori* and the population of annexed Pacific Islands. The former number 47,731 and the latter is 12.340. In the year 1903 the net increase from abroad, after deducting the number of persons who left New Zealand, was 11,275. and in 190*. 10,355. In 1905 the excess of arrivals o\er departures- fell to 9302, but in 1906 it rose to 12,848, being the largest increase from over seas during the quinquennium. The Exhibition contributed to this result. In 1907 the net gain from outeide the Dominiorr was the smallest for five year" (5730). mainly on aeeoirht of a more equal interchange of people with Australia and the departure of 579 nereons to British Columbia. New Zealand gained, in the period 1903-7, according to returns, 49,510 persons from abroad, after deducting those who departed. The natural increase of births over deatli« shows a. steady rise over the first four years of those dealt with in the table. It is, however, smaller fcr 1907 than for 1906 on account of an exceptionally heavy mortality in the later year. The total excess of birrhs is 74.547 for the quinquennium under observation, and for the year 1907 the figures are 15.033 ; but the death rate for 1907 was 10.95 pea- 1000 persons living, against 9.31 in 1906! The two sources of increasing population have each yielded fewer people in the year 1807 than in 1906, the result being that whereas the population increased at the 'afo of 3.26 fp-- cent, in 1906, the rate waa only 2.28 111 1907.

¥ear. 1903 1901 1905 1906 1907 3§ •3 "5 '■Z ft ... 832 505 . . 857.529 . . 882.462 . . 908,726 . . 929,489 09 .a m Si g? 13.301 14,679 15.621 15.913 15,083 •H! „ a. m * aiP 4) 12 11,275 10,355 9,30 i 12,848 5,730 I" 24.576 25,034 24i,923 28,761 20,763