COLONIAL STATISTICS.

Westport Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1235, 8 December 1874, Page 4

COLONIAL STATISTICS.

[WESTrOUT EVENING STAB.] We have received from the RegistrarGeneral a copy of the Statistics for 1873. Although not containing the results obtained during the late census—which, as the Registrar-General states, will be kept separate from the animal statistics and published hereafter—it still gives an infinite amount of matter from which from time to time items may be culled of interest to all readers. One especially new feature is what may be termed the historical portion, which includes a list of Governors from the foundation of the colony, a list of Parliaments and list of Ministers that have held office since the establishment of the system of Responsible Government in New Zealand, lists of the members of the Legislative Council and House of Representatives in 1873, and also a list of foreign consuls in New Zealand." Matter generally sought for in the pages of Almanacs rather than official publications. Under the heading, " Population and vital statistics," the Eegistar-General records the following results:—Estimated population, December 31st, 1873, 295,910 ; births registered during 1873, 11,222; deaths registered ditto, 3045 ; natural increase ditto, 7577. These figures show that during the year 1873 the increase of population by excess of births over deaths in New Zealand was at the rate of 20-75 per day, and the RegistrarGeneral makes comparison between this increase as compared with the increase of population in England and Wales, giving the results thus : England and Wales, 100 00; New Zealand, 213-31. Showing by the inexorable logic of facts and figures how essentially favorable are the conditions of existence in New Zealand to the replenishment of the earth with healthy human beings. Emigration added 8811 souls to the New Zealand population in 1573, making the total increase during the year 1G,358. But against the accession of immigrant population must be set clown the number of people leaving the shores of New Zealand, their numbers being not less than -4761, or about 33 per cent of old colonists replaced by new chum immigrants. A fact not quite satisfactory, when it is considered that these outward and homeward bound travellers were people of colonial experience, and taking with them hard earned money, which, under favoring conditions, they might have have been induced to permanently invest in the colony. The number of marriages in 1573 was 2276, or 403 more than eventuated in 1572.