THE CENSUS RETURNS.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7871, 23 May 1891, Page 6

THE CENSUS RETURNS.

(PRESS ASSOCIATION _eleora_.)

*■-*■■•- WELLINGTON, May 22. . The Maori, census returns' for the South Island are complete. In Otago and Southland there 130 males, ifs females, 210 halfcastes, total 455; Canterbury, 312 males, 893 females, 173 half-castes, total 778; West Coast, 64 males, 47 females, 7 halfcastes, total 118 ; Nelson and Marlborough, 214 males, 203 females, 92 halfcastes, total 509, grand total 720 males, 658 females, 482 half-castes. This shows a decrease of 185 on the last enumeration. The returns for the North Island are not all in, the Taranaki and Tauranga . districts being still wanting. The counties north of Auckland give 4617 males, 3792 females, 225 halfcastes; West Coast, 852 males, 675 females, 104 half-castes ; Hutt and Wairarapa, 531 males, 405 females, 62 half-castes; the counties of Cook and Waiptt, 1768 males, 1504 females, 269 half-castes. Since the census returns have come out considerable stress has been laid on the fact that not only a portion of the natural increase has been lost, but the whole of the immigration. The latter has been put as high as 25,000 for the five years, from which deduction it has been made out that the colony has lost something like 50,000 people. The Immigration Department have supplied the Press Association with the following correct returns:—lßß6-7, 1053; 1887-8, 857; 1888-9, 250; 1889-90, 82; 1890----91,153; total 2389. It is evident from this that the loss has been -much less than was at first supposed.