ILLITERACY AND INFIRMITY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 63, 1 August 1912, Page 7

ILLITERACY AND INFIRMITY.

I • , ; JIPV,KLATIOXS OF TIIE CENSUS. i ■ i Wellington, Wednesday. ! are still being compiled. The-, latest features dealt with by the Government Statistician (Mr. M. Frasorj relate to ages, education and infirmity. At!'tlMt'date of the census in April, 1011, New Zealand possessed seven ceritenam;ns/«f whom six were males. Two I' jtorsonb'-Vei/urhpd their age at 101, aiul OM.'-(i)bU : b<;leHß Mr. Henry Burling, of I bas since died) declared l liis afge Jit.lo9: Out of a population just over; a'' million j n number 28,000 had • Palmist's definition of the alfjiufyl Qf life. 1,, the qualifying asye for old a # e ' Pulsions («5). was 47,700, but if the .agq jimit.cjoaies down to CO all round, as Mfl.fayor; in,many quarters, it will bring 7,o,f4l,persons within its scope. Of these, ■females! .number 30,352. It.ifl;WiFpn's : ing to find, after so lengthy an eixpirieniee of free education, that over 1 3j5 :per cent, of the population (exclusive* of- Ohiilese and Maoris) cannot read.-'! -Writing, however, is a more general 'atfcoinp.lishment, the percentage | retiafriing'itbemselvcs as simply unable to read is-'onV'y :8C: The general improvement' jp education is well shown by quoting the jirpportion of persons at succes- . siye certsus.pqviods who were able to read and wnte t ajKl those who could write but were unable to read: Census period.. Read and write. Read. December, jj)sß (33.51 25.10 December, 1807 71.35 -2140 | April, 1881-; 71.32 23.05 April, 1801 . 77.27 18.70 I March,. •. 82.78 15.27 April, 1011, 83.78 15.30 : -hen-the provinces- are separated from the total, 1 ? it is found that Taranaki has the lowest position, 81.81 per cent, of its popuia'tioh' being recorded as able to read and ' .The average for the whole Dominion i,s 83.77. Otago's percentage of .85.07 is the best, but its neighbor, Southland, -stands at 82.40. ,'Jlie census,indicates that 5301 persons in the dominion suffer from infirmities which were'specified in the householders' schedule: —'Deaf and dumb 301, blind 482, lunatic.J74Jfeeble-minded 777. Females comprise 2250 and males 3051 of this sad total.