NEW ZEALAND'S POPULATION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3107, 4 February 1909, Page 5

NEW ZEALAND'S POPULATION.

By Telegraph—Press Association. WELLINGTON, February 3. Official figures have just been compiled by the Registrar-General (Mr E. J. Von Dadelszen), showing that the Dominion's population on December 31st was estimated to be as follows:—Europeans, 960,642; Maoris, 47,731; Cook Islands popnlatio'n, 12,340; total, 1.020,713. The European population has gone up in twelve months by 31,158, or at the rate of 3.36 per cent. Immigration in uxcess of departures accounted for 14.261, while the natural increase caused a gain o.': 16,879. Both these features are in excess of previous years, and it is particularly satisfactory to note how the country gains ty the excess of births over deaths. t In this regard New Zealand compares very favourably with any other country. Infant mortality is kept down remarkably, compared with that of other countries. In fact, the death rate generally in 1908 was satisfactorily low —it worked out at 9.57 compared with 10.95 in 1907, when it was abnormally high. The birth rate for 1908 stood at 27.45 as against 27.30 in the previous year, when there were about 900 fewer births. Last year'h record, both in births and excess of arrivals over departures, was the high water mark, as the following table giving the gain in population for the last ten years will indicate: —1899, 11,155 births 1,887 immigration; 1900, 12,.° and 1,831; 1901, 12,857 and 1902, 12,280 and 7,992; 1903, and 11,275; 1904, 14,679 ar 1905, 15,621 and 9,? 15,913 and 12,848; 190 r 5,730; 1908, 16,897 & - wmmmmmmmmmmm V* ■