POPULATION STATISTICS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 194, 11 May 1908, Page 4

POPULATION STATISTICS.

A CHRISTCHURCH. PROTEST. : . (BY TELEGBAPU—BPEOIAL COnBESPONDESI'.?: '; • ' l ;' Christchurch, May. 9. .. ' The ' 'Times'' expresses_. gratification 7 that the Canterbury Industrial Association is making a : protest, against' the manner' in' which the Registrar-General. is now 'present-; irig' the population, statistics of -; the.' 1 four cities of the Dominion. ' TJiitil a few 'months'; ago, the population of each of the: cities', was shown with the .population' of" its suburbs; and under]this system'-Auckland was placedat the head of the list with a;'"margin of 14,000 or' 15,000' souls, while Ghristchurcli was 1 second,' Wellington third,' and' DuYtedin' fourth. ; But, apparently, this arrangement did not please someone in authority in tho' capital city, and now Auckland and Christ-' church have been deprived of'the assistance;; of- the bulk of their suburbs, with the re-' suit that Auckland' appears in 'the "Regis-' trar's monthly returns as'only a , bare .'thousand ahead of ' Wellington, -while' Christ- 1 , church is placed even below Dunedin. - The'" method by which the Registrar lias exalted Wellington at the of ; Auckland- and : Christchurch is simplicity itself. He lias taken from Auckland all' the residential parts of the road districts that have been counted in ■ its • suburbs, and by-this means has. brought its population down. from - 82,101 at - the date of the last-census just two yearsagq to 71,916; at the: end of last month. Christchurch has been treated eveii more nil-., justly. Spreydou and New Brighton; and the populous parts of Riccartoh, :Avon,' andHcathcoto, which, arc, really., continuations of tho city, have been cut off from. its ; population area.- and its figures have been reduced from 67,878 at the time of the census .to 57,078 now.. Wellington, on the other hand, has been allowed, to retain all' its suburbs,though they aro far less parts of the city than Riccarton, Avon, and Hcathcoto aro parts of Christchurch, and its population, is; shown' to have grown during the two years' from 63,807; to 70,947. • - Dmiediiv- has - been l , cared for in the sanie fashion,' and by hav-' ing the ; poople of ; 'half; a- dozen' boroushß added to'its numbers is able to boast of'an increase of population from 56,020 to 59,495. Wo choerfullv recognise that it is the.destiiiy of Wellington to become tho commercial and: social capital of the Dominion,'as wcll as:the; political capital, but; wo cannot seo'that thobright prospocts of its --future' offer .my ex-', cusb for the unfair glorification: of its sent.