SOME INSTRUCTIVE FIGURES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 61, 4 November 1907, Page 2

SOME INSTRUCTIVE FIGURES.

SYe are indebted tu the Kcgisirar-Uen-eral l'or advance sheets of tile New Zealand iear Look. As showing the headw.ty tile country lias made during the past half-century, tile particulars contained in the sheets are 01 considerable interest. '.Taking the population we find that in 1857, the total white population of the colony was 49,802, consisting of 27,000 males and 22,1 Uti females. At the end of ten years it had grown to 218,008, the men having .niTeased to 131,929, and the women to 80,739, but it was not until fourteen years later that the half-million was leached. The total population iu 1881 was 500,910. The population at the end of last year was 908,720, 481,(151 males and 427,075 females, so that the increase was actually smaller during the second twenty-live years than during the fn-i twentv-tive. The product of the soil and flocks and herds have increased at a far greater rate. In 1857 wool worth £1711,579 and grain worth £29,070 were sent out of the country. Last year the exports of wool were valued at ,£0,7G5,655, and of frozen meat at £2,877,0J1. In 1857 the export of gold amounted to 10,4300z, valued at £411,442. The largest export of the precious metal was in 1860, when 735,3070z, valued at £2,844,517, were sent away, but this was not so very much larger than the 503,8450z, valued at £2,270,904, exported last year. Last year's export was the largest since 18/1. The total value of the exports of the produce of New Zealand in 1857 was £309,394, and last year the toM reachej £17,840,340. The growth of the imports during the Same period was from £992,994 to £15,211,403. The total output of the coalmines prior to 1878 was 709,931 tons. In 1878 the output amounted to 102,218 tons, and in 1900 to 1,729,530 tons. Fifty years ago there were 121,048 acres, including the hind sown in grasses, under cultivation, and at the end of last year tlie area, had grown to 14,382,75 i acres. During the fifty years the number of horses increased from 14,012 to_ 342,608, the number of cattle from 137,294 to 1,851,750, and the number of sheep from 1,523,524 to 20,108,471. We have reason to feel gratified with the progress made and the progress we arc making. In one respect, however, we are not progressing as we should like. Tliat is, in population. New Ze wand's greatest need is population. Its a, need that does no(; alwavs seem to be recognised by our legislators. Land tenure, prohibition, customs duties taxation—the lyliole range of poli|ca questions, i„ fact-are comparatively unimportant alongside the burning and pressing question or increased Population. If I( , gislatm . s littlo more attention to devising and X IT Zj t0 r ffert «* attracting i h ,1 t,ie Dominion and bothered less about the trivialities th t SO' frequently employ tlieir time, they T? . lar S' n g their proper duty ra.l lendenng a real service to the