THE CENSUS.

Te Aroha News, Volume III, Issue 156, 29 May 1886, Page 5

THE CENSUS.

Auckland, May 22. At a late hour on Thursday niyht the Census Enumerator with his staff of assistants had completed the enumeration of the census returns for the City of Auckland and its suburbs. Some weeks ago we were enabled to predict thar the city and suburbs population would approach 60,000, but from the returns now before us we find that even that large estimate was under the mark. The following return shows the population of the census divisions of the city :—

Ponsonby shows the largest centesimal increase, 97*87. After it comes Graf ton, 49 47; Karangahape, 2735; City West, 20*58 ; and City North, 15 68. City East shows a decrease of 175 souls, which is accounted for by the removal of a number of dwelling houses through the cutting down of Emily Place, and also by the removal of habitations to make room for warehouses. It should be explained that within the old city the boundaries of the electoral districts were taken, not the ward boundaries. The boundaries of the City East electorate and the East Ward are coterminous, but the botmdaries of City North and City West are not coterminous with the South and !North Wards, which cover the same ground on the electorates named. The populations of Ponsonby,Grafton,andKarangahape are the populations of the wards bearing those names, the old highway district boundaries having been taken as the limits of the census districts, and these are coterminous with the ward boundaries. The return of the population on seaboard is only approximate, and includes the crews of three German war vessels whicia arrived h9re the morning of the taking of the census.

The Suburbs. The most astonishing feature of the census return is the wonderful expansion of tho suburban population, it having actually more than doubled since 1881. The following statement shows the population of the several suburban districts :—: —

* Approximate. It is necessary to explain that for the purposes of the census of 1881, Davonport included Northcote, Bhkenhead and the Lake ; Newmarket included Remuera, and Mount Eden was included in the district of Epsom. Newton shows the largest increase, upwards of 700 per cent., which is accounted for by the settlement of the Surrey Hills estate, which at the time of the last census was a series of unoccupied paddocks. An addition of the population of the city to that of the suburban districts will show the total city and suburban population to be 62,006 ; although, taking the ten- mile radius, which would include Onehunea, West Tamaki, Mount Wellington, etc., the population would be 64,066. Comparing the total with the populations of the other large centres in the colony, we find the population of Dunedin and suburbs stated at 46,205 ; Christchurch and suburbs, about 37,000; Wellington city —with suburbs, say 1000—27,208

-AND CITY. Wards. Male. Fmale. Total 1886. Total 1881. Numerical Increase. 860 1,240 3ity North 3ity West "Jity East Ponsonby Kar'gah'pe jrafton . 3,433 3,586 2,695 3,854 2,293 1,020 2,906 3,678 2.309 4,077 2,223 1,131 6,339 7,2fii 5,004 7,931 4,510 2,151 5,479 G,('2J 5,174 4,008 3,516 1,439 3,923 970 712 Wharf and Shipping 33,205 4,000 25,670 7,705 Total . . Suburbs .. |37,205 |24,5C6 Gr'd total 62,071

Male. Fomalo. Total. 1886. Total. 1881. Parnell Borough. . . Mount Eden . . Devonport Newmarket .. Newton Borough .. Remuera Archhill Eden Terrace Mount Albert One-Tree Hill Epsom Point Chevalier . . Mount Roskill Birkenhead Northcoto Lake 2,332 1,584 1,282 933 921 85S 867 784 741 377 299 323 234 54S 2,343 1,55 i 1,318 891 892 925 761 739 673 302 306 196 201 462 4,675 3.138 2,630 1,824 1,813 1,783 1,628 1,523 1,414 659 605 519 435 1,010 410 3,532 2,149 i,923 1,049 \ 204 1,011 543 649 307 30fi 500* 230 210 300 s 12,870" 12,196 24,866 12,553

SUBURBS.

Other Districts. The census returns of the following districts were also completed to-day. , M. F. Total Kaukapakapa.. .. 244 160 404 Waikomiti .. ..189 138 327 - Waihvkel'land ..83 63 146 Motatapu .... 7 3 9 Kawau .. •.. ... 27 12 • ,39 :i From the investigation that has been made of the returns for the Counties of Manukau and Waitemata, it is believed that their populations will exceed 15,000. and 7,000 respectively , ' -: k w;