AUSTRALIA'S GROWTH

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 73, 23 September 1927, Page 7

AUSTRALIA'S GROWTH

OFFICIAL STATISTICS

TEN YEARS' INCREASE, 1,200,000

(From "Tho Post" Representative.) SYDNEY, 16th Soptombor. What are euphoniously called "vital statistics" contain intonsoly intorosting sidolightit on human frailties. In tho latest collection issuod for tho Commonwoalth of Australia, for instances, | it is shown that of the 47,865 marriages rogistored in 1926, tho brides in 600 worn under soventoon years of ago, tho youngost being twelve yoars. At the othor cxtremo, thoro woro 05 bridos agoa 65 and over, including one of 81. Tho oldoat bridogroom was 87 yoara of ago. Tho Cgnroß aro quoted from tho annual demography bulletin of tho Commonwealth, containing complete dotails of tho population, births/doaths, and j marriages from 1800 to 1026. An inI foresting survoy is that of tho increase of population' during tho ton yoars, 1916 to 1926. In tho former year tho population was 4,017,949, and in tho lattor, 6,110,514—an increase of 1,192,----505, representing an avorago rato of incroaso of 2.19 per cont. por annum. Tho total incroaso during tho period was mndo up of 778,576 duo to excess of births ovor doaths, and 413,989 duo to oxcohs of arrivals ovor departures. . Births registered in 1920 numborod 133,102, compared with 135,7D2 for 1925, tho rato por 1000 porsons doclining from 22.89 in 1925 to 22.02 in 1920. Compared with many othor countrios, tho Australian rato is low, but it is accompanied by a vory low doath rato, giving a rato of natural incroaso which is oquallod in fow countries. Among tho very young mothorß thcro waa ono aged 12 yoara, six agod 13 yoars, 34 ngod 14 years, and 132 24 years. Tho number of ox-nuptial births for tho year was 6284, or 4.72 per cont. of tho total births registered. Thero woro 1423 cases of multiplo births including 1412 cases of twins and 11 of triplets. Of tho 120,878 births rogiatorod, 37,020 woro first births. Thoro woro thrco cases whero tho child wits tho oightoonth, throo tho nintoonth, and ono tho twenty-second of tho marriage. The avorago numbor of children por mother was 3.06, a« against 3.10 for 1925. During tho your deaths numbered 56,952, corresponding to a rato of 9.42 per 1000 of tho population. Taking them in ordor, tho eight principal causes of doath woro:—Hoart disoaso, 13.5 por cent.; cancor, 10 por cont., violonco, 7.4 por cont.; pneumonia, 7 por cont.; old ago, 6.2 por cont.; tuborculosis, 6.2 por cent; corobral homorrhago, 5.5 por cont, and noplirltiß, 5.3 por cont. Tho numbor of doaths in childbirth roproßontoil 5.39 por 1000 childron born. Thoro woro 34 doaths of contonarinns. Doaths of children undor tho ago of ono yoar numbored 7190, tho lowest on record, showing that out of vory 1000 childron born 54 diod beforo reaching thoir first birthday. This rato is tho lowest in tho world, with tho exception of Now Zoaland, vrhich had a rato of 40 per 1000 children born. ' '■' —