AUSTRALIANS BY OCCUPATION

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8366, 28 February 1913, Page 6

AUSTRALIANS BY OCCUPATION

We havo received from the Commonwealth Statistician a bulletin classifying th.© population of Australia by occupations, according to the information given in tho census papers in April, 1911. As usual in work for which Mr G. H. Knibhs, the Statist!cian, is responsible, this paper is remarkable for completeness and thoroughness, and of much value to ■all who wish to understand tho distribution of tho, population. The bulletin conveys some grave messages to those who are able to read lessons conveyed in columns of figures. That of. chief import, to our mind, is the small proportion of the people engaged in the primary industries, which are obviously those that ought to claim greatest attention. The Statistician has divided tho people into eight classes, namely—Professional, comprising persons engaged in the Government service, in defence, law, etc., and in education, health, religion, and charity; domestic (persons employed in supplying board and lodging and in service or attendance); commercial (including the rather novel entry speculators on chance events); transport and communication; industrial, which takes in. those engaged in. the construction of railways, roads, and buildings; primary producers; independent; and dependants (very largely children). The totals given under these heads are: Professional Domestic 201,366 Commercial 286,687 Transport and communication 167,891 Industrial 662,337 Primary producers ..... 586,148 Independent 23,055 Dependants Unspecified 43,424

Total 4,465,005 The bulletin puts , the number of “breafl-winhers” at 1,961,595, hut from these it seems to us there should be deducted the 23,055 persons of independent means, leaving. 1,938,540. Of these the largo number of 52,693 were returned as unemployed at the census date. This is rather surprising unless it may bo accounted for by the fact that immigration was very active at the time. We pass this suggestion on to Mr Massey. We also commend it to Mr Bell, who is declared to have made “a close study” of “the whole question of immigration.” Centesimally, the people of Australia are found to bo divided in this way: Percent. Dependants 54.9 Primary producers 12.9 Industrial 12.4 Commercial 6-4 Domestic - 4.5 Transport 3-5 Professional 3.2 Independent and unspecified 2.!s . 100.0 The point that suggests itself to us more than any other for comment is the small percentage of the people engaged in the primary industries. These are not only man’s most natural sphere of employment, bnt also the most prolific and profitable. In a country so undeveloped as Australia, every consideration that occurs to the mind is an argument for greater occupation of the land. The continent has but 1.53 persons to the square mile. It is the emptiest land in a world of growing nations—a fact constituting both a menace and a reproach. Yet Australia has great capital cities, and Sydney has her Million Club. Mist of the big cities , have housing problems and traffic difficulties. Sydney, indeed, is'so congested that underground conduits have become necessary. The people are actually burrowing underneath the surface to find space to pass each other,, while there are scores of millions of acres of good land crying out to be tilled.