OUR POPULATION

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 56, Issue 4016, 23 February 1938, Page 7

OUR POPULATION

INCREASE OF 11,177 IN YEAR. FIGURES FROM YEAR BOOK. The population of New Zealand, excluding Maoris, has increased by 11,177 during the twelve months up to March 31, 1937, according to the latest Year Book. The total is now 1,502,737. The population of New Zealand and its dependencies is 1,660,684. The outstanding note in the history of population movement in New Zealand is that of unbroken growth as shown by the accompanying table (excluding Maoris):

Of the 2807 new immigrants during the year 1936-37 intending to settle in the Dominion, the vast majority (2468, or 88 per cent.) came from British countries, mainly from the British Isles, Australia, Canada, Fiji and India. The majority of immigrants from foreign countries came from China, Yugoslavia, the United States of America and Italy. There were 3972 permanent departures from New Zealand, the great majority (94 per cent.) going to British countries. LOCAL POPULATION. The population of Te Awamutu borough is shown as 2300, an increase of 76, which is greater than any other borough of approximately the same size. Other South Auckland towns are estimated as follows, the increase being shown in parenthesis:—Hamilton 17100 (950), Ngaruawahia 1420 (26), Huntly 1980 (38), Te Kuiti 2520 (21), Taumarunui 2680 (40), Matamata 1370 (47), Morrinsville 1850 (54), Te Aroha" 2400 (36), Paeroa 2180 (31). Waihi 3950 (34), Thames 4260 (decrease 8), Tauranga 3540 (53), Te Puke 970 (9). Counties, not including boroughs or town districts independent of county control, are as follows: Waikato 12,690 Waipa 12,510 (decrease of 456), Matamata 9,320 (123), Raglan 10,110 (232), Piako 10,440 (91), Otorohanga 5,550 (110), Waitomo 7,730 (108). DENSITY OF POPULATION. The total area of the Dominion of New Zealand is approximately 103,934 square miles. Omitting the annexed islands and certain uninhabited outlying islands, the area of the land mass remaining is 103,415 square miles. This calculation, it should be explained, includes all inland waters. Using* the latter figure as a base, the density of population in 1937 may be quoted as 15.35 persons to the square mile. A truer statement of averaging density can be ascertained by subtracting from the total area, that occupied by rivers, lakes, roads, state forests, higher portions of mountain rainges, ets. The remaining area, amounting to about 84,500 square miles, which may be considered as the utmost total inhabited or usable land, carried a population in 1936 of 17.65 (or, including Maoris), 18.62 persons to the square mile. On March 24, 1936, somewhat over one-third (38.5 per cent.) of the population of the Dominion (excluding Mlaoris) was included in the four principal urban area—Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.

Census. Population. Increase. 1851 26,707 1861 99.021 72,314 1871 256,393 157,372 1881 389,933 233,540 1891 626,658 136,725 1901 712,819 146,061 1911 1,008,468 235,749 1921 1,218,913 210,446 1926 1,344,469 125,556 1931 1,452,747 108,278 1932 1,463,030 10,283 1933 1,473,480 10,450 1934 1,476,026 16,193 1935 1,485,046 9,020 1936 1,491,560 10,655 1937 1,502,737 11,177