IMMIGRATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3335, 13 February 1918, Page 39

IMMIGRATION.

EFFECT OF WAR ON GAIN OF POPULATION. Last week's issue of the New Zealand Gazette gives the immigration and emigration statistics for 1917, whiob »how that the falling off, in both arrivals and departures, naturally to ,be expected under the war-time regime of permits and pass- ■ ports is becoming more accentuated «aoh year. . ■ . Compared with the figures _ for 1916, the arrivals from the United Kingdom, 2931, as against 3394, show a reduction of 13.0, per cent.; from Australia, 10,146, as- against I 15,321, a reduction of 3i per cent. ; from . other British possessions, 1552, as against 1323, an increase of 17 per cent., and from foreign countries, 1020, as against 1761, a reduction of 42 per cent. The total air* rivals, 15,649, as against 21,799, show a re. duction of 28 per cent. The departures for the United .Kingdom,1501, as compared with 2603, show a reduction 'of 42 per cent. ; for Australia* 10.499, as against 16.390, a reduction of 35 per cent.; for other British possessions, 1091, as against 1132, a reduction of 3.9 per cent., and for foreign countries 778, nn against 1033, a reduction of 25 per cent. ■ The total ' departures, 13,869, as against 21,163 in 1916, show a reduction of 34 pec cent. . - A survey of the figures for the three years preceding 1914, together with the four war years, gives the following result: Percentage -1911 to 1914 to B-8- ' 19137 191 L. ftuctiou. Mean annual arrivals 43,545 26,11?* 42/3 Mean annual departures 84,430 23,503 tM.B Mean annual excess of arrivals over departures .. .. 9,115 &GSS 70.3 It has to be noted that in the yean, prior to 1914, the excess of arrivals owe departures showed somewhat remarkably fluctuations, ranging from 14.261 in 1908 to 3408 in 1910. lire 14.000 mark was reached again in 1913, when the figures were 14,219. It would be unsafe* to say that any cjpfinitd tendency to a progress'lro increase in this source of population is discernible during the six years preceding 1914. and *thf Position can be best crystallised in fcho states menfc that while for the six years prfceedinj" 1914 the mean annual excess of arrivals oyee departures was 8289, the mean exoess for the four war years has. been only 2653, & falling off of 68.5 per cent.