THE NELSON EXAMINER. Tuesday, July 21, 1868.

Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle, Volume XXVII, Issue 87, 21 July 1868, Page 2

THE NELSON EXAMINER. Tuesday, July 21, 1868.

Journals become moro necessary aa men hecome moro equal and individualism moro to lie feared. It would be to underrate their inn' or tiu»ce to suppose that they serve only to secure liberty ; tlioy maintain civilization. Dk Tooquevillb, Of Democracy in America, vol. 6, 230. The Eegistrar-Generai has just published his " Abstracts of Certain Principal Eesults of a Census for New Zealand," taken in December last, a copy of which we have just received. The particulars referring to agriculture and live stock have previously been published in the Gazette, and already noticed by us, but we have now for the first time, iv an authorized form, the population of the colony as shewn by the late Census. Dr. Bennett apologizes for the delay in the publication, caused by the slovenly manner in which some of the enumerators sent in their returns, and which entailed on the Eegistrar a great amount of labour to insure anything like accurracy in the different statements. The total European population, exclusive of the military, is returned as numbering 218,637 souls ; but the Eegistrar-Generai is of opinion that this falls short of the real number probably by several thousands. On gold-fields, in particular, it is impossible to ascertain the actual population at any given time. When the late Census was taken, it was believed by those who had the best means of judging, that at least 1,000 miners in this province were not included in the returns, and in Westland and Otago the same thing doubtless occurred. To the European population above given, must be added the aboriginal race. These were not included in the last Census, and the number stated can only bo regarded as approximate, but we suppose it is not very far wide of the mark. These are set down as 38,540, and with 1,455 for the military and their families, gives a total population of 258,632 for the whole colony. We give the European population as distributed in provinces : —

An excessive disproportion of females to males is only apparent in provinces where there is a large mining population ; in all others, the proportion of females is large for so young a colouy. When the census was taken at the end of 1864, the population Avas 172,158 ; so that the increase in three years was 46,479, or 2699 per cent. The next return we shall notice is one giving the population of the principal towns in the colony. It was intended that all towns having a population of 500 should be included ; but we are told the instructions for getting returns of the small towns were issued late, and in consequence were not acted upon fully. The Registrar- General gives the following as the returns made to him :—: —

It is to be regretted that a proper census cannot be taken of the Mnoris as well as of the white population of the islands, but the Eegistrar-Generai furnishes all the information he can in regard to the number of natives. In the Provinces of Canterbury, Olago, and Southland, an enumeration of the natives was taken in the early part of this year, and the number given was 1,433. If we say, therefore, that the total native population of this island is 2,000, giving 570 to Nelson, we shall nob be over the mark ; and this, according to Dr. Bennett's compilation,

will leave 35,107 for the North Island and the Chatham Islands. The EegistrarGeneral thus returns the sexes :—: — Children Males. Females, under Totals. 14 Yeara. Middle Island, excopt Nelson . 535 427 471 1,433 North Island, Nelson, & Chatham Islands . . 14,897 12,353 9,857 37,107 Totala . 15,432 12,780 10,323 38,540 We think we have now noticed all the more interesting facts furnished in these Eeturns ; but to give details would occupy more space than we can spare.

We received on Saturday morning, by the steamer Wellington, a slip kindly sent by the Taranaici Herald on the previous evening, giving particulars of the late calamity at the Turu-Turu-Mokai redoubt. We are glad to find that, bad as the affair undoubtedly is, it is not so bad as our first accounts represented. The number killed on the spot amounted only to ten, but there is little hope we are told of the recovery of the five who were wounded, some of whom have since died. Four brave men held an angle of the redoubt until the Light Horse came to their assistance. Then, also, with respect to the Native Contingent, who are said to have since gone over to the enemy, " with al) the breech-loaders and revolvers lately served out to them," we learn from reliable authority that two or at most three men with arms form the whole Contingent spoken of, although some of the same hapu may have gone with them. The state of affairs on the West Coast is very critical, but it is unwise to magnify dangers, and thereby create unnecessary alarm. We are assured that the disaffected natives north of Patea do not number at present more than 150, and that if vigorous measures are taken by the Government to punish the offenders, it is not likely the disaffection will spread. Any hesitancy, however, on the part of the Government to follow up and punish the rebels might be attended with the most disastrous consequences. To judge from the tone used by the Government when questioned on the Patea outrages in the Assembly, they appear determined to act against the rebels with vigour. But little more was known in Wellington respecting the escape of the prisoners from the Chatham Islands. H.M. steamer Eosario had sailed for Poverty Bay to render any assistance she could give in re-capturing the escaped rebels, and a vessel had been despatched to the Chathams to learn how the escape was effected. Possibly, to-day we may receive a telegram from Wellington giving the particulars.

A great deal has been said of the economy of the County system of Government as compared with the cost of Provincial Governments, and we have been looking out for the means of drawing a comparison between the two. That has been supplied by the Canterbury Eeform League in its late Eeport, where at one view we have the cost of governing all the provinces of New Zealand, including "Westland, separately exhibited. "We find the "Westland departmental expenses set down at £36,558, the population being 15,418. Now, if we turn to the Nelson Appropriation Act of the present year, we find that the same departments cost £39,815, for a population of 28,814, being a difference only of £3,257 in amount, while the population of Nelson is about one-third greater than that of "Weslland. Then it must be borne in mind that the area of Nelson is four times greater than that of "Westland ; that it has more centres of population ; and that for several reasons not necessary to enumerate, the cost of departments in Nelson might have been expected to be much greater than in a newly-formed county, had the population been equal. We confess we were surprised at finding the advantage in point of economy of government on the side of the province and against the county, because all Governments begin with economy, extravagance usually growing by degrees. "We place below in juxtaposition the appropriation for departmental charges in Nelson and in "Westlaud, omittiDg the land department in both instances, as not coming properly under the head of Government. In excess of the departments for which money was appropriated in Westland, it will be seen Nelson appropriated large sums for Hospitals, Charitable Aid, Education, Scab Department, Steam Bonus, and Volunteers — amounting in all to nearly £18,000. For these branches of the public service Westland has apparently made no provision. Yet some of them are bo neces-sai-jr that it will be found impossible to long ignore their want, nor can we congratulate the Westland Government that it escaped the necessity of making provision for some of these services in its 4ate session. We append the tables of expenditure spoken of, and commend them to the consideration of our financial reformers who are seeking how to cheapen the cost of Provincial Government :—: —

The Parliamentary business, up to Friday night last, had been in no way exciting. The debate on the address went off very languidly, those who may be regarded as the leaders of the Opposition being absent. We give the debate on the address nearly in its entirety from the official report, as several points of 1 interest were brought out in the discussion.

The House has hitherto been but thinly attended ; but the absent members, both from the North and the "West Coast, will be in Wellington to-day, the Avhole, we believe, having gone on in one or other of the steamers that left Nelson yesterday or Sunday. Mr. Fox will be in his place by this time, we suppose, as will also the remaining members from the South,

Nelson Expenditure. & TVESTLAND EXPENDITURE. £ 3uperin'endent's Department . • 1,335 Solicitor ... 250 treasurer . . . 210 Ei\giaeer.'6 Department . . . 2,700 Legislative . . 1,252 Biiols, Police, and Gold-wardens . 25,024 Earbour Department . . . 3/132 Hackney Carriages . 20 Hospital and Lunatic Asylum . . . 7,301 Scab . . . .1,210 Charitable Aid . . 1,500 Education . . . 6,600 Steam Bonus , • 600 Volunteers , . 350 Secretary's Department ... 958 Paymaster . . 400 Engineer's Department . . • 1,347 County Council . 1,875 Gaols, Police, and Gold-wardens . 22,190 Harbour Department . . . 2,716 "Weights and Measures . . • 300 Miscellaneous . . 6,772 Total . £36,558 3undries . . . 6,812 Total . £57,676

Males, Females. Totals. Auckland City Fu.rnell . . Newton . Onehunga . Otalmhu Howick . !few Plymouth . Wellington City , Wanganui Napier kelson Oity Westnort • Charleston Addison's Flat Brighton Picton Dhristchurch Lyttelton. , Kaiapoi . Eangiora . Timaru , . Eokitika Greymouth Dunedin . . Port Chalmers . Oamaru . Milton . [nvcrcargill 5,^752 1,096 3,927 987 2,995 228 3,335 1,371 G,654 1,098 5,401 1,084 3,533 840 2,657 237 3,312 1,139 6,122 908 % 11,153 3,226 3,227 2,177 552 540 2,180 7,460 2,157 1,827 5,652 1,500 1,800 1,500 1,000 465 6,647 2,510 708 1,012 1,027 4,866 1,607 12,776 1,318 1,376 523 2,006

Halea. Female 9. Totals. tfoETn Island— Auckland . Ttiranaki Wellington . Hawke's Bay 27,063 2,528 12,401 3,197 21,258 1,831 9,549 2,086 48,321 4,359 21,950 5,283 Totals 45,189 34,724 79,913 Middle Island— Nelson Marlborough Westland . Canterbury . Otago . Soutliland . 16,425 2,736 11,764 21,311 29,861 4,600 7,389 1,635 3,654 17,114 18,708 3,343 23,814 4,371 15,418 38,425 41,569 7,943 Totals 86,697 51,843 138,540 Juatham Islands 123 61 184 18.