XLVII

H.—lB

consumed approximately twice the volume that was consumed per person twenty years ago. This table brings into clear relief the great advance in the general standard of comfort of the people, an advance, as Dr. Mcllraith said, that has been directly connected with the extraordinary rise in the price of exported farm-products. The country has produced in volume very much more from the soil than formerly, and the prices of farm-commodities have increased by about 40 per cent. This has caused an inflow of wealth into New Zealand in exchange for those products, and that wealth has filtered down from the farmers to all classes of the community. 5. Another suggestive table is that comparing the volume of consumption per head with the marriage-rate, birth-rate, average size of the family, and the bank, ruptcy-rate.

Tests of prosperity

Table 33. —Tests of Prosperity. (Dr. McIlraith, p. 275, extended.)

With regard to the marriage-rate, the basis is the average marriage-rate per thousand of population during the nineties = 100. Everything else is reduced to the percentage of that 100. Our marriage-rate and the prices of the products of the soil in 1895 were the lowest on record in New Zealand; and in 1896 the prices of commodities were the lowest on record in Europe and America. The increasing volume of consumption has therefore been attended by a rising marriage -rate, fewer births per marriage, a diminution of the size of the average family, and a falling bankruptcy-rate, all indicative of a rising standard of life. The index number of the volume of liquor consumed in New Zealand (Mcllraith, 1890-99 = 100) is instructive as showing that though the consumption has increased it has increased only by about 7 per cent., whilst the consumption of commodities in general has almost doubled.

Year. Volume of Consumption per Head. Marriage-rate. Proportion of Birth-rate. Bankruptcy- Births to every rate. Marriage ot the Previous Year. 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 102 123 144 131 123 122 112 104 97 98 95 95 108 108 106 103 111 121 122 125 146 160 155 174 183 171 187 196 196 171 191 195 104 103 109 106 106 103 93 93 93 92 95 94 96 96 95 92 106 106 107 113 119 121 124 127 128 128 131 138 137 129 j 129 411 396 356 412 ... 205 233 246 118 230 114 195 111 165 108 142 107 130 4-64 103 107 4-54 101 100 4-37 100 129 4-33 99 96 4-24 96 80 4-32 95 79 3-70 95 74 3-68 92 70 3-54 94 56 3-41 96 39 3-34 95 34 3-23 97 31 3-26 99 41 3-22 100 47 3-24 99 52 3-21 100 53 3-15 100 61 3-03 100 71 3-03 96 60 3-07