GAIN IN POPULATION

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18614, 9 July 1930, Page 11

GAIN IN POPULATION

SMALL INCREASE LAST YEAR, FEWER ASSISTED IMMIGRANTS. CHINESE IN SMALLER NUMBERS. A net gain of 3250 in the permanent population of New Zealand resulted from migration during the calendar year 1929, according to the annual statistics just issued by the Census and Statistics Office. In 1928 the gain was only 2385, indicating the effect of the restricted immigration policy inaugurated by the Government in the autumn of 1927. Although an upward turn was taken in the figures last year, the gain is still negligible in comparison with 11,860 in 1926, when the system of assisting migrants was in full operation. The increased gain in permanent population last year was due almost wholly to a decrease in the number of persons who left the Dominion without the intention of returning. The per- : lanent arrivals showed little variation in number in the two years. However, there was a further decline in the number of assisted migrants, with an increase in the number of those who came independently. Statistics for Recent Years. Following is a summary of the statistics for recent years showing the number of permanent migrants to and from the Dominion:—

Excluding the war years, 1915-18, the number of assisted immigrants in 1929 was less than in any year since the revival of the scheme in 1904. A substantial increase in the proportion of females during the last three years is due to the fact that approved domestic servants are still eligible to receive assisted passages, although otherwise the scheme has been practically confined since 1927 to bringing out the remaining members of families who had migrated in previous years. The following summary shows the number and sex of assisted imigrants during the past five years:—

Arrivals and Departures. Including persons who came to New Zealand on visits of a temporary nature, but excluding crews of ships, it is shown that a total of 34,439 persons (18,752 males and 15,687 females) arrived from overseas during 1929. This shows a decrease of 1039, compared with that for 1928, and is no less than 11,246 below the total for 1926. However, the 1926 figure has been exceeded only on one occasion, that being in 1863, when the number of arrivals was 45,730. The departures during 1929, excluding the crews of vessels, showed a decrease of 3392, the respective figures being 31,643 in 1929 and 35,035 in the previous year. The following table compares arrivals and departures, excluding crews of vessels, during recent

The arrivals on visits of a temporary ature during 1929 numbered 12,988, onsisting of 7215 males and 5773 females, representing a decrease of 654 n comparison with the previous year. •This deficit is accounted for in the roups covering persons visiting the :ountry in connection with sport, enertainment and other such purposes. :'he remaining classes, including toursts and persons engaged in business, how figures remarkably close to those or 1928, in which year was recorded 1 he highest number of visiting tour3ts since information concerning the arious classes of migrants became /affable. Pleasure and Business. Although the total number of tourts from overseas, 9593, was only four ■;ss than in 1928, the figures for inividual countries are of interest. Those ram which the bulk of New Zealand’s ourist traffic is drawn exhibited deceases, the most important of which vere:—United States, 63; Australia, 52; Canada, 42; and the British Isles, 17. Increases over 1928 were recorded for: —China, 69; Tonga, 21; France, 20; Fiji, 17; and Cook Islands, 15. Since 1925 the number of persons visiting New Zealand on business has steadily declined, the number in that year being 2241, while in 1928 it was 1871. The 1929 figure was 1872, so that the declining tendency has been arrested temporarily, at least. Pleasure or business took 14,614 persons away from New Zealand during 929, compared with 16,075 in 1928, a decrease of 1461. Of these, 8344 went to Australia, 3536 to the British Isles, 1001 to British Pacific Islands, 369 to

America, and 219 to Canada. Four per cent., or 258, of the immigrants during 1929 were of foreign nationality. While the number of British subjects arriving to take up per- ( manent residence, showed an increase of 62, or 1 per cent., on the figure for 1928, there were 58 fewer arrivals, a decrease of 18 per cent. The numbers of alien immigrants from different countries last year, with the figures for 1928 in parentheses, are:—Yugoslavia, 71 (68); Italy. 43 (48); United States, 38 (30); Denmark, 16 (32); Greece. 14 (28); Poland, 14 (8); Switzerland, 13 . (12); other countries, 49 (90). Chinese and Indians. A decrease of 23 in the Chinese pop- 1 illation of the Dominion is the principal feature of the statistics relating to the arrivals and departures of “race aliens” during 1929. In 1928 and 1927 there had been decreases of 17 and 24 respectively, and before that there had been increases of 23 in 1926 and 34 in 1925. Although no permits for Chin- j ese immigrants were issued by the Go- > vernment during the years 1926 and | 1927, 50 Chinese arrived during the former year and 11 in the latter to , take up residence in New Zealand. The majority of those who arrived in | 1926 had permits issued in previous years, but only three of the 1927 arriI vals were so admitted. The remainder were New Zealand residents who had I been absent from the country for more than five years. During 1928* the number of Chinese immigrants was further reduced to six and in 1929 to five, the last number including two who were returning after lengthy absence, one being a woman accompanied by her child who was born in China. Chinese residents departing permanently in 1929 numbered 28, as against 23 in 1928. Fifty Indians were added to the population during the year, that number arriving and none departing. The arrivals in the four preceding years : were:—l92s, 73; 1926, 56; 1927, 41; 1928, . 44. Taking into account other na- | tionalities, the net addition of “race ! aliens” to the population of the DoI minion during 1929 was 40.

Arrivals. Independent. Assisted. Departures. Excess 1922 . 6072 7773 2150 11695 1923 . 5581 6181 2474 9288 1924 . 6223 8091 2256 12058 1925 . 7427 8277 1948 13756 1926 . 7102 10766 2531 15287 1927 . 5428 5899 4145 7182 1928 . 4119 2220 3954 2385 1929 . 4465 1878 3093 3250

Males. Females. Totals 1925 .. 4,462 3,815 8,277 1926 .. 5 951 4,815 10,766 1927 .. 2,954 2,945 5,899 1928 998 1,222 2,220 1929 902 976 1,878

years:— 1927 1928 1929 Arrivals 38,676 35,478 34,439 Departures 36,248 35,035 31,643 Excess 2,428 443 2,796