H.—3l

Birth-rales (Legitimate) per 1,000 Married Women at Child-bearing Ages for each Census Year, 1878 to 1906. Number of u,,™i,o» Birth rate Married Women . f l "™- \ to per 1,000 Year (Census). between of Legitimate Married Women . of£» «* « 1878 ... ... ... 50,995 17,196 3372 1881 ... ... ... 57,458 18,003 313-3 1886 ... ... ... 62,704 18,532 295-5 1891 ... ... ... 63,165 17,455 2763 1896 ... ... ... 69,807 17,596 2521 1901 ... ... ... 79,406 19,355 243-8 1906 ... ... ... 98,211 22,352 2276 And another table is given, showing for a period of twenty years the numbers of married women at the quinquennial periods of age belonging to the full term 15 to 45 Iγ ears, with the proportions that those numbers bear to every 100 married women living at 15-45. These proportions are found to have diminished appreciably at the earlier] ages, 15-20 and 20-25; but the numbers of the living are much smaller at those ages than at ,the higher ones, 25-30 and onwards to 40-45, and the effect of this lesser number of wives at the lower ages in reducing the birth-rate would" not be so much as might at first be thought probable. It is, however, undoubtedly a fact that to have a growing proportion of wives at the earlier productive ages is the best position, but it is not the one which obtains at present in New Zealand.

Married Women under 45 Years of Age, given according to Age-groups, as at the Censuses of 1881, 1891, 1901, and 1906; with the Proportion in each Group for every 100 of the Whole.

A further table shows the declining birth-rate, and the increase in the marriage-rate, in the United Kingdom. Birth and Marriage Bates in the United Kingdom, 1886, 1891, 1896, 1901, 1903, and 1905. Births. Marriages. Mean Rftte P er Rate P er Year- Population Number. 1,000 of Number. 1,000 of Population. Population. 1886 ... 36,313,582 1,145,577 31-5 241,180 6-6 1891 ... 37,802,440 1,148,259 30-4 275,970 7-3 1896 ... 39,599,072 1,152,144 29-0 296,089 7-5 1901 ... 41,550,773 1,162,975 280 313,351 7-5 1903 ... 42,371,219 1,183,601 279 316,415 7-5 1905 ... 43,221,145 1,163,506 26-9 315,063 73 The above figures are taken from the report of the Eegistrar-General of England (67th number) published in 1907. The birth-rates for ten years in Great Britain and certain countries of the European Continent are also given from the same source. The rates in England and Wales, and in Scotland, are higher than those in New Zealand, but the rate for Ireland is lower. France has the lowest rate of all quoted

XIII

Married Women under 45, excluding Chinese. Age-groups. Numbers at Census. Proportion per Cent. 1881. 1891. 1901. 1906. 1881. 1891. 1901. 1906. 15-20 20-25 25-30 30-35 35-40 40-45 1,233 8,996 13,133 12,656 11,811 9,629 750 8,862 14,540 14,576 12,959 11,478 777 10,053 17,923 19,617 16,854 14,182 928 12,153 24,030 23,025 21,453 16,622 2-14 15-66 22-86 2203 20-55 16-76 1-19 14-03 2302 23-08 20-51 18-17 0-98 12-66 22-57 24-70 21-23 17-86 0-95 12-37 24-47 23 44 21-84 16-93 Totals 57,458 63,165 79,406 98,211 10O00 100-00 100-00 10000