RURAL DEPOPULATION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 144, 19 June 1915, Page 13

RURAL DEPOPULATION.

♦ — School attendance figures in New South Wales suggest that the drift of population from country to town continues. "During 1914," says the Minister for Education, " the average quarterly attendance increased by 11,349 over the figures far 1913. This in itself is gratifying evidence of the growth of population, but the fact that the population is crowding into the city, rather than taking part in the development of rural industries, is shown by the fact that 5941 pupils, equal to 52.3 per cent, of the increase, were found in attendance at metropolitan schools. '" That the urban population of the State is increasing out of all proportion to the settlement in rural districts is further emphasised by tho fact that 4712 of the additional pupils, equal to 41.5 per cent, of the total increase, are found in attendance at the larger country schools. In fact, there- was an increase of only 697 pupils in country schools with an attendance of 50 pupils and under ; in other words, 93.8 per cent, of last year's great increase came from 627 schools with an attendance of 50 pupils or over, while only 6.1 per cent, of tho increase is found in the remaining 2631 small schools."