POPULATION STATISTICS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14439, 4 February 1909, Page 8

POPULATION STATISTICS.

OFFICIAL RETURNS, (Pm: United Press Association) . WKLLIXUTOX. Pebruarv 3. 0 I,"' 11 figures ilavc j„ s( . I)cen to ; il[j(l by t!., Jlugistra .■•general (Mr R. .). \' on D.ii'lsxen) slunvjHg that tlie Dominion's population on IJocembcr 31 was estimated Jo bo as follows: — Europeans 960,642 Maoris 47,731 Cook Islands population ... 12.340 To,nl 1,020,713 _ The European population lias gone up m months by 31,158, or at tlie rule of 3.36 per cent. Immigration in excess' of (Icpart-iire.s accounted for 11,261, while iia-tiiraJ caused u gain ~f 16,897. •Kotn these features <ire in excess of prevjous years, ami it k | );l it icularly satisfactory to nolo how the twuiitiy -wins by excess of births over deaths. lu°ibe extent. of this natural margin New Zealand compares very fitvour.il>lv with any other country. Though tlmre is u comparatively low birlli rate the infant mortality is kept, down remarkably coiupatixl with that of Other coiuitries. In f,i| 10 rale generally in 1908 was satisfactorily low. It. worked out at 9.57. a.s compared with 10,95 in 1207 when it was hrlit witli 10.95 in 1907, when it. was HblMHiially high. The birth rate for 1908 stood at 27.45, as against 27.30 in the previous year, when there were about 9uo fewer births. Last year's record. Ikilli in hirlhs and excess of arrivals over departures, was the hiirli water mark, as the following table, ijivins; the in laudation for Die last. 10 rears, will indicate tilths. Immigrat ion. 1899 11,155 ... 1,!i87 WOO 12.346 .. i.B3i 1901 12.857 0.522 1902 ... 12,280 ... 7.992 1905 13,301 ... 11,175 190-1 . 14,679 ... 10,355 1005 . 15,621 ... 9.302 lfl °6 15.913 ... 12,848 lfl o7. 15.028 ... 5.730 1903 16.807 . . 14.261