I—l 7

the point made earlier that while the absolute numbers engaged in secondary industries have risen, the tertiary industries have increased in greater proportion, a movement which illustrates the economic progress over the period. The following table shows the proportions of the total population gainfully employed and those in dependent classes. The term " breadwinner " is not exactly comparable with the expression " occupied " as used in the previous tables in this section, but the difference is so slight as to be negligible.

Table No. 66. —Table showing the Percentage of Breadwinners, and Non-breadwinners and Dependants, both Male and Female, from 1901 to 1936

The above figures are remarkably steady over the period ; in fact, more steady -than would be expected from the changed age-constitution over the period. In 1901 the population aged fifteen to sixty-four years were 62-5 per cent, of the total population, and 67-9 per cent, in 1936. Children under fifteen, however, were 334 per cent, of the total population in 1901 and only 25-5 per cent, in 1945. Aged people were 4-1 per cent, of the total in 1901, and 6-6 per cent, in 1936. On the face of these figures some considerable rise in the breadwinners, particularly males, would be expected. The explanation of the relative stability is probably to be found in the tendency to keep children at school much longer than in earlier days, and in the tendency, because of the provision of old-age benefits, for people to retire from work earlier. One factor of considerable interest is the slight tendency in 1936, in both males and females, for the proportion of the dependent class to increase over 1926, and for the breadwinners to decrease. The explanation is probably to be found in the economic stress of the period, which may have forced many people from gainful employment and rendered them dependent on their families. This deduction, however, must be used with caution since various other factors are important but intangible. IX. THE DEVELOPMENT OF AGRICULTURE A. HISTORY OF AGRICULTURE The history of the development of agriculture in New Zealand can be divided roughly into three main periods. The first period began with the organized settlement •of the Dominion in 1840, and lasted till approximately 1882. The emphasis during this period was on two major lines of development —first, subsistence farming, marked by the growing development of food crops to support the growing population of the Dominion, and, secondly, the development of pastoral farming where the emphasis was on the production of wool for export. Exports of agricultural products during this period were confined largely to the export of growing amounts of wool, to a small amount of grain, and to such meat by-products as tallow, which did not deteriorate as a result of long-distance haulage to the major markets of the world. Owing to the absence of steam, and primarily to the absence of refrigeration, the export of perishable food products, such as meat, butter, cheese, was to all intents and purposes impossible. A new era began in 1882, and lasted till about the end of the first World War. The major advance in this period was the development of refrigeration, coupled with the availability of fast steam transport to the markets of the Old World. This made

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Year. Breadwinners. Hon-breadwinners and Dependants. Total. Males. Females. Total. Males. Females. Total. Males. Females. Total. 1901 67-67 17-91 44-05 32-33 82-09 55-95 100 100 100 1906 68-79 18-02 44-92 31-21 81-98 55-08 100 100 100 1911 68-44 18-94 45-04 31-56 81-06 54-96 100 100 100 1916 64-36 18-31 41-42 35-64 81-69 58-88 100 100 100 1921 66-85 19-17 43-54 33-15 80-83 56-46 100 100 100 1926 67-37 19-73 44-07 32-63 80-27 55-97 100 100 100 1936 66-85 18-89 43-21 33-15 81-11 56-79 100 100 100