The Press. FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 1911. THE POPULATION RETURNS.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 14029, 28 April 1911, Page 6

The Press. FRIDAY, APRIL 28, 1911. THE POPULATION RETURNS.

The census returns are now beginning to come in from the chief cities. The figures for Auckland and suburbs, which will probably show the largest increase among: the leading centres, are not yet complete. Wellington and suburbs have a total population of 90,819 as compared with 82,122 in 1906. Th© capital goes rather far afield for ita suburbs when it includes the Upper Hutt, but it appears that the city proper has gained 5713 since 1906, while the city and suburbs (not including Petone and Hutt and adjacent districts) have gained 8066. The population oJF Chri»tchurch City has grown in the five years from 49,928 to 51,680.. It is probable that the

suburban population will have increased at a greater ratio since the tramways have been the means o: spreading the people over a wider area. The City of Dunedin, including North East Valley, a- favourite residential area, now lias a population of -11,501 —an increase of only 10.13 since tho last census. Apparently there has been a drift of the population to tho seaside as St. Kilda shows an increase of 1515. Taking the City and tho suburbs together there appears to have been a total increase of 3:570. Among the smaller towns lnvercargi!l and Wanganui seem to have shown most progress, and the former, with a population of 10,001', including the suburbs, is said to be tiia fifth city in the Dominion, In many of the smaller places, however, the returns are painfully suggestive of stagnation. Indeed, we fear that the census returns as a whole will not give New Zealanders any great cause for pride when they see the progress that is being made in others parts of the Empire. Canada, of course, is the great example in this respect. Its population in 1901 was 5,371.315, and it is expected that |at this census it will reach 8,000,000. | What this means will be gathered when lit is remembered that Canada began tho 20th century with about the same j population that the United States i began the 19th. Lord Strathcona predicts that Canada will have 80 millions by the year 2(100. The population of Montreal doubles in about nine years, and it comes next to Melbourne and Sydney ameng the cities of the .self-governing Dominions of the Empire. Among the smaller towns the rate of growth is even more phenomenal. The populaticn of Edmonton, Alberta, for example, has increased over 900 per cent, in scyen years. "We cannot expect in New Zealand anything like the same growth of population as in Canada, simply beoause wo have not the same vast extent of land to be occupied. Jt is easy to see, however, that we are not making nearly as much progress as w<» ought to do, and the reason is not far to seek. Not only is the birth-rate restricted, but there is the most unreasoning and stupid fear of immigration among a .section of the community j Anything more despicable, and, we will add, more inhumane than the fuss that has been made about the introduction of tho Sedgwick boys, it is difficult to conceive. What is wanted in the future is n systematic opening up of land for settlement, and the equally systematic introduction of tho right class of settlers, carefully selected. The Auckland people, who are painfully parochial in most things, are quite right in urging that the large area of waste native land in the NorthIsland should be brought into profitable cultivation. The Government, with all its professions, is really acting as a bar to land settlement instead of promoting it. With the opening up of lands and more encouragement to capital nnd willing hands to come here to assist in its development, New Zealand would indeed have a brilliant and prosperous • future before it. At j the present time, our debt and expenditure, arc both expanding at an unhealthy rate, but our. population is not growing as it should do, and our resources are being very imperfectly developed.