THE AUSTRALIAN CENSUS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1166, 29 June 1911, Page 7

THE AUSTRALIAN CENSUS.

1 INCREASE OF 675,692, U.V Telegraph—Press A«..riation-Ooi>yriKht Melbourne, June 23. . The preliminary count of the census shows the complete population •of tho Commonwealth to be 4,449,493, as compared with 3,773,801 of ten years ago—an increase of 675,692. The biggest proportional increase is in West Australia, which shows an advance of 52 per cent. Tho increaso in New South Wales is 22 per cent., in Queensland 21, in South Australia 13, in Tasmania 10}, and in Victoria 91. The annual rate of increase in the Commonwealth population for tho quinqucn-uiumlfli)l-6 was practically identical with the annual rato for Germany, the figures boing respectively 1.49 per cent, and 1.47 •per cent. In view of the sparsity of the population of Australia, and the recency of its settlement, this rate of increase equal only to that of such a densely-popu-lated country as Germany, cannot, Mr. Knibbs, tho Federal Statisticion, considers, be regarded as satisfactory. When contrasted with the growth of population in the United States, the comparison is even less favourable, since the annual rato of increase of that country for tho period 2901-6 was 1.62 per cent. Further, if the increase in the populaton of the Commonwealth be compared with that of the United States under comparable conditions as to density of population, it will be seen that whilst during the seventy years 1790-1860 the population of the United States increased at a rate of slightly more than 3 per cent, per annum, that of the Commonwealth, during the ten years 1900-1909, increased at little more than half that rate. The full significance of the difference between these two rates of increase will be seen on comparing the figures shown 'in column (a) below with those appearing in column (b). The former represents the population of tlie Commonwealth in the years specified, on the assumption that the rato of increase experienced in the Commonwealth during tho ten years 1900-1909, viz., 1.61 per cent., remains permanently in force, while the ■latter show what it would bo in the samo years if the rate of increase experienced in the United States during tho seventy years 1790-1860 were in force (a). (b). 1909 4,374,138 4,374,138 1910 4,446,000 4,507,000 1915 4,824,000 5,234,000 1920 5,233,000 6,078,000 1930 6,160,000 8,198,000 1940 7,250,000 11,058,000 1950 8,531,000 14,910,000