THE DRIFT TO THE TOWNS

Evening Star, Issue 17920, 16 March 1922, Page 3

THE DRIFT TO THE TOWNS

WHAT THE CENSUS- SHOWS, if

.The Government Statistician, in presenting the returns showing the distribution of population, has shown the facts graphically in a map of Now _ Zealand. The map (says the * Dominion ’) is divided into counties, and in each comity there is a red dot for every 500 people residing within it. These dote tell a story qf crowded centres and neglected countrysides. The neighborhoods of the cities and large towns are red smudges, while there are wide country districts where the red dots are few and far between. East Taupo, with an ara of nearly 2,609 square miles, has 1 one dot. Tho Bay of Plenty counties, containing some of the best land in New Zealand, look almost empty. The western .portion of Wellington Province, along the railway lines, is thickly dotted, but tho eastern counties, from Featherston up to Patangata, can show scarcely a bit of color along their coastal areas.

In the South Island also the distribution of tho population is exceedingly uneven. The red dots are scattered quite thickly down the east coast of tho island, with patches of color for tho towns; but they aro infrequent in tho western areas. Fiord County presents an unbroken expanse of white; but, then, it has only twelve residents, eight of them being males and four females. The Government Statistician points out that the county basis of showing the density of population has a drawback, in the fact that tho county rarely maintains the same, or even approximately the same, density of population over tho whole of its area. A comity with a fair average population may have nine-tenths of its area almost uninhabited. DENSITY OP POPULATION.

The number of persons to tho square mile in New Zealand is 11.80, tho North IsiS/ud having 16.79 and tho South Island 8.07. The following table showing the number of persons to the square mile in successive years is interesting;—

Tlie variation in the number of persons per square mile in the counties is extraordinarily wide. Eden County has 4,457 persons and Heathoote County has 2,754 persons. The explanation of this state of affairs is that the two counties embrace city suburban areas. Featherston, County has seven people to the square mile, liutt County has over 50 persons, Makara County has 921. The counties that have not one person to tho square mile arc East Taupo, Murchison, Amur!, Tawera, Lake, Fiord, and Stewart Island. Wellington is tho most closely populated of the provincial districts, and has had this distinction for' the last quarter of a century. Here are tho figures, showing the areas of the provincial districts in square miles and the populations per square mile: Area, Persona (sq. miles). per sq. mile.

With the exception of a brief period during the war, when many thousands of New Zealand soldiers were overseas, the male population of the Dominion has always exceeded the female population. This tendency was exceptionally well marked in the early history of Now Zealand, when a very large proportion of the immigrants were unmarried men. In 1861 there were 61,062 males in tho colony and only 57,959 females. But the female population is steadily increasing its proportion, and the Government Statistician remarks that ‘‘at the present rate of progress it will not be many years before the female population takes a permanent precedence.” There are more boy babies than girl babies, but this fact is more than balanced by the comparatively heavy male death rate, immigration usually provides a substantial male surplus; but, then, 70 per cent, of the increase of New Zealand’s male population is attributable to the ‘‘natural increase”—that is, the excess of births over deaths. The new census shows that the Dominion contains 625,243 males and- 595,670 females.

The distribution of tho female population is interesting. The country districts have a surplus of males, and practically every town of any size has a surplus of females. The sole exception is Hamilton, where there is a, slight preponderance of males. Dunedin City has 4,000 more females than males. Both Canterbury and Otago have a- surplus of women, owing presumably to the northward movement of the men. Auckland district lias 92,78 females to every ICO males, and 'Wellington has 95.81. But Canterbury has 101.28 females to every 100 males, and Otago has 102.52. The unattached woman seems to have her best chance in Marlborough and Westland', where there are only 89 and 87 females respectively to each ICO males.

North South Both Year. Island. Island. Islands 1861 ... 0.94 0.97 0.96 1871 ... ... 2.20 2.70 2.59 1881 ... ... 4.37 5.02 4.74 1891 ... 6.38 5.84 6.07 1901 ... 8.85 6.46 7.48 1911 ... - 12.77 7.52 9.76 1921 ... ... 16,79 8.07 11.80

1896. 1921. Auckland 25,364 6,05 14.57 Taranaki 3,732 8.35 16.59 Hawke's Bay... 4,241 8.05 14.36 Wellington ... 10,807 11.28 23,02 Marlborough ... 4,225 2.95 4.21 Kelson 10,875 3.29 4.38 Westland 4,881 2.96 2.91 Canterbury ... 13,853 13,957 9.82 14.36 Otago 8.60 9.80 Southland 11,358 3.87 5.47 Totals SEX 103,298 6.81 PROPORTIONS. 11.80