NEW ZEALAND'S POPULATION

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 9, 4 February 1909, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND'S POPULATION

REMARKABLY' LOW DEATHRATE. INTERESTING FIGURES. liy Telegraph.—Press Association, i Wellington, Last. Night. Official figures have just been eom,piled by the Registrar-General (Mr. E. J. von Dadelszeti) showing that the Dominion population on December 31 was estimated to be as t'olows:--Europeaus .. .. 9tii),fi42 .Maoris .. . • 37,7:11 (,'ook Islands .. . • 12,310 Total .. ■■ 1,020,713 T'hci European population has gone up .in twelve months i>v 31,158, or at the ■rate of 3.30 per cent. Immigration in ,e\ees-, of ileparlurcs accounted for IJ.201, while natural increase caused a

{lain of lti,S97. lSolh these features are •in excess of previous years, and if is ■particularly .satisfactory to note how •file country gains by excess of bii'th-s •over deaths'. In the extent of this natural margin New Zealand compares very .favorably with any other country. •Though there is a comparatively low •birth-rate, infant mortality is kept down remarkably compared with that •of other countries. In fact, the death .rate generally in 1908 was satisfactorily •low. It worked out at 9.57, as compared with 10.93 .in 1907, when it was abnormally high. The birth rale for 191)8 •stood at 27.-13 as against 27.30 in the •previous year, when there were about 000 fewer births. Last year's record, both in births anil excess of arrivals over departures, was the high-water mark, as ■the following table giving the gain in •population for the last ten years will ■indicate:—

]»)» liirtlis I 1j155 Jimiiifjrntion 11)00 12.34(1 i',s:n 11101 12,»57 0o22 11)02 12,'-SO 7,!)!I2 1!MS i;i,;)oi 11,275 wot 14,079 10.;i,')5 i!iu:» 15.021 !I,:102 1 !10(i 1."., m:! 12.K4S 1007 15,028 5,7111) 100S 10,0!)7 14,201