THE ALIEN WITHIN

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2501, 30 June 1915, Page 11

THE ALIEN WITHIN

FOREIGN-BORN RESIDENTS THE NUMBERS INTERNED Since the outbreak ot war New Zealand has had to seriously consider the positions of enemy subjects within tho country: 'The matter has exercised the public mind a good deal, but the public has never yet had placed before it figures showing tho numerical strength of these people in New Zealand or the numerical relation they bear to tho remainder of the population. The figures used in this article are in most instances based on the 1911 census. In that year New Zealand's population, exclusive of. Maoris, was 1,008,4G5. Of these all but 779 are described on the census schedules as to their birthplaces. The number born in New Zealand was 702,779, and the number born in Australia 50,029, making a total of 752,80S Australasian-bora people among the total of a little over a million. These figures are important, as, when compared with certain other sets of figures, they show that for a number of years the proportion of New Zealand-born to tho total population has 6teadily ' increased. In 1886 51.98 per cent, of the people were New Zealand-born, in 1891 58.61 per cent., in 1896 62.85 per cent., in 1901 69.71 per cent., in. 1906 68.26 per cent., and in 1911 69.74 per cent. The percentage horn in Australia was 1.96, so that just on threefourths of the total population was born in Australasia: the exact percentage is 71.70. Of the remaining 25.30 per cent., 22.69 per cent, are thoroughly British, having been born in the United Kingdom. The following table shows the numbers born in the Old Countries:— Number Per cent, of of popuBorn in persons. lation. England 133,811 13.28 Wales 2,206 0.22 Scotland 51,709 5.13 Ireland 40,958 4.06 228,684 22.69 In addition, 5234 of our population were born in other British possessions, so that New Zealand is one of the most purely British countries in the world; 97.92 per cent, are British-born. If the Maoris and half-castes (49,844), who are excluded in the total on which the percentage is based, were included the percentage of those born on British soil would be higher even that 97.92 per cent. Those born under the Union Jack may be shown thus:— Per cent, of popuBorn in . Number, lation. Australasia 752,808 74.70 United Kingdom 228,684 22.69 Other British possessions ... 5,234 0.53 986,726 97.92 Of the 2.8 per cent, not yet accounted for, 1.94 per cent. (19,571) were known to be born in foreign lands, but the total who are counted as foreign subjects is 12,050. The numbers of foreign subjects in the Tarious provinces, and their proportion to the general population, wero:— Foreigners Total per foreigners, cent. Auckland 4237 1.60 Taranaki GOO 1.16 Hawke's Bay 687 1.42 Wellington .'. 3105 1.60 .Marlborough 94 0.59 Nelson' 522 1.08 Westland 358 2.28 Canterbury ?. 839 0.48 Otago 114' 0.87 Southland 359 0.61 The following table gives details of the birthplaces of the foreign-born portion of the population, and the comparison of '1911 with. 1906 shows that there are now fewer foreign-born people in the country than were here five years ago:— Born in 1811. 1906. . Austria-Hungary 2131 2212 Belgium 116 126 Denmark 2262 2277 Prance 647 624 Germany 4015 4174 Greece 165 144 Italy 511 574 Netherlands 114 115 ' Poland 113 131 Portugal 109 117 Russia ' 658 484 Spain '. 87 69 Sweden 1518 1618 Norway 1344 1396 Switzerland 528 464 Other European States .. 55 46 China 2GII 2602 Africa 92 129 North America 491 842 United States 1400 115G Other foreign lands 604 567 19,571 The above table gives an interesting indication of the numbers of enemy subjects New Zealand holds, but it must bo home in mind that the number of for-eign-born people owing allegiance otherwise than to King George is 12,050, not 19,571. The 12,050 represent a decrease of 806 in five years. The foreigners wfoo are enemy subjects are Germans, Austrians, and Turks. There are not many Turks in the country, and since 1911, 81 Austrians and 159 Germans have been withdrawn from here. The total of Austrian and German-born people is 6146. The numbers of naturalised Germans and Austrians is not available, and one authority on such information informed the writer of this article that New Zealand practically had no naturalisation statistics, as those in existence were about thirty years out of date.- The only mention of bbe matter 'in the census tables is to the effect that the total naturalised British subjects numbered 5652 in 1911. They were spread over the country as follow--Auckland, 1589; Taranaki, 426; Hawke's Bay, 486; Wellington, 1360; Marlborough, 67; Nelson, 251; Westland, 268; Canterbury, 655; Otago, 415; Southland, 135; total, 5652. The numbers of enemy subjects at present held in detention are:—Germans and Austrians, 229; Turks, 2. They are disposed as follow:— Somes Moutoihi Isld. Isld. Germans and Austrians ... 186 43 Turks 2 - 188 43 Total, 231. Six or seven other enemy subjects are held in one of the fortß. The numbers of Germans and Austrians in Wellington and suburbs were:— Germans. Austrians. Total. City 305 44 349 Onslow 3 — 3 Karori 4 15 Miramar ... 7 1 8 Eastbourne ... 1 — 1 Lower Hutt ... 14 — 14 Petone 20 3 23 Totals 354 49 403 Wellington City, it may lie seen by comparing tho above table with the next, has more enemy subjects than any one of the other three cities. Germans. Austrians. Total. Auckland 229 101 330 .Christchurch .. 129 S 137 Dunedin 93 10 103 Totals .... 451 119 570