H—3l

15

A further table shows the declining birth-rate, and the Increase in the marriage-rate, in the United Kingdom. Birth and Marriage Rates in the United Kingdom, 1886, 1891, 1896, 1901, and 1906. Births. Marriages. M Eate per Rate per Year. D ,*? Number. 1,000 of Number. 1,000 of P °P ulatlon - 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 1906 ... 43,661,092 1,170,537 26-8 325,823 7-5 The above figures are taken from the report of the Registrar-General of England (69th number), published in 1908. 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 : —

Birth-rates in European Countries, 1897 to 1906.

In March, 1901, New Zealand had 86,806 children living under the age of five years, and in April, 1906, the number was 102,745, an increase of 15,939, or 1835 per cent., although the population at all ages increased in the quinquennium by only 1499 per cent. Between 1891 and 1896 the increase was only 455, or 055 per cent., while between 1886 and 1891 the children living under five years actually decreased in number by 3,624, the increase of population of all ages (8-33 per cent.) being less than between 1891 and 1896 (1224 per cent.), 1896 and 190! (986 per cent.), or 1901 and 1906 (1499 per cent.). The number of children under one year to the total population at all ages, according to the results of five censuses, was: — Children under Total Population One Year. (all Ages). Census 1886 ... ... ... ... ... 18,355 578,482 1891 16,443 626,658 1896 ... 17,070 703,360 1901 ... ... ... ... ... 18,381 772,719 1906 ... ... ... ... ... 22,289 888,578 Thus, in 1886, with a population of 578,482 persons, there were 18,355 children under one year, against 22,289 children of that age in 1906, with a population of 888,578 persons. The births registered in 1885 were 19,693, against 23,682 in 1905. The birth-rate fell from 34-35 per 1,000 of the population in 1885 to 2722 in 1905. Deducting 1,599, the number of deaths of children under one year registered in 1905, from 23,682, the number of births for that year, leaves 22,083, or within 206 of the living children under one year at the time of the last census.

Countries. 1897. Number of Births per 1,000 of Mean Po lulation. 1898. 1899. 1900. 1901. 1902. 1903. 1904. 1905. 1906. Hungary ... Austria Italy German Empire Netherlands Scotland ... Norway ... England and Wales Belgium ... Sweden Switzerland Ireland 40-3 37-5 34-7 36-0 32-5 30-0 29-9 29-6 29-0 26-7 28-1 23-5 22-2 37-7 36-3 33'5 361 31-9 301 30-1 29'3 28'6 27-1 28-4 23-2 21-8 39-3 37-3 33-9 35-8 320 29-8 30-7 29-1 28-8 26-4 28-9 23-1 21-9 39-3 37-3 33-0 356 31-5 29-6 29-9 28-7 28-9 270 28-6 22-7 21-4 37-8 36'6 326 35-7 32-3 29-5 29-6 28-5 29-4 27-0 29-1 22-7 22-0 38-8 37-0 33-4 35-1 31-8 29-2 29-0 28-5 28-4 26-5 28-7 23-0 21-7 36-7 352 31-7 33-9 31-6 29-2 28'8 28-4 27-5 25-7 27-7 23-1 21-1 37-0 35-5 32-8 341 31-4 28-7 28-1 27-9 27-1 25-8 27-7 23-6 209 35-7 33-7 32-5 330 30-8 28-1 27-4 27-2 26-1 25-7 27-4 23-4 2O6 36-0 3*i-9 30-4 27-9 26-5 27-1 25-7 25-7 23 : 6 20-6 France