THE CENSUS AND CATHOLIC STATISTICS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 107, 15 May 1875, Page 10

THE CENSUS AND CATHOLIC STATISTICS.

It is now more than a year since the last census of thecolony wastaken,but itis only lately that the printed official report of the Begistrar-G-eneral was published. Were this, report permitted to go abroad without comment, and without drawing attention to the fact that our population wasincreased the last year by some 20,000 immigrants, a false/ 1 ! estimate of the present position of the colony could not 1 fail to be the result. Tor example, the population of theprovince of Otago in March, 1874— exclusive of nativeswas 85,123. Since then nearly 13,000 immigrants havebeen added to the population ; so that at the present time the inhabitants of this province cannot* number much lessthan 100,000. Again, according to the figures of the report, Dunedin city contained, in March, 1874, only 18,499 inhabitants ; at the present moment the population exceeds20,000 ; whilst that of its suburbs does not fall far short of 10,000. Having stated this much by way of warning, we shall now place before our readers some figures that cannot fail to interest them. Exclusive of the Maoris, the entire population on the Ist March, 1874, was 299,514 ; of these 85,113 were in Otago, 67,451 in Auckland, 58,775 in Canterbury, 29,790 in Wellington, 22,558 in Nelson, 14,860 in Westland, 9,228 in Hawke's Bay, 6,145 in Marlborough > 5,465 in Taranaki, and in the Catham Islands, 129. Thesemhabited 61,356 dwellings, including 1,967 tents.

The populations of the chief towns were as follows : — Dunedin, 18,499 ; Auckland, 12,775 ; Wellington; 10,547;; .Christchurch, 10,294; Thames, 8,073; Nelson, 5,662;Napier, 3,514 ; Hokitika, . 3,352 ; lyttelton, 2,974 ; Oamaru, 2,819; Wanganui, 2,572; Greymouth, 2,551; Invercargill, 2,497 ; New Plymouth, 2,044 ; Onehunga, .2,044; Timaru, 1,969 ; Port Chalmers, 1,535 ; Coromandel, 1,174 ; Kaiapoi, 1,002 ; Milton and Fairfax, 1,161. Besides these there were 65 other towns having a population from 100, as in the case of Barwhey's, up to 867 in Westport. In part third of the report we find the number and proportions per cent, of persons — exclusive of Maoris — of different religions. There were 127,171 of the Church of England — that is 42-46 per cent, of the entire population ; 72,477 Presbyterians, 34-20 per ce3t. - f 40,371 Catholics, 13-48 per cent. ; and 25,219 Methodists, 8-42 per cent. With the exception of 1,752 who objected to state to what denomination they belonged ; the remainder was divided amongst nine other denominations, and their subdivisions which were very numerous, The province of Auckland contained 11605 Roman Catholics; Ofcago, 9,080; Canterbury, 5,533; Westland, 4,281; Nelson,, 3,435; Wellington, 3,173; ITawke's Bay, 1,396 ; Marlborough, 805 ; Taranaki, 597. The number of Roman Catholics in the several electoral districts was : Grey Valley, 2,401 ; Thames, 2,366 ; Hokitika, 2,116 ; Dunedin, 1,948 ; Auckland city west, 1,822 ; Buller, 1,605; Franklin, 1,598; Wellington, 1,362, Napier, 1,092; Christchurch city east, 905; Tuapeka, 859; Waikato, 851; Auckland city east, 806; Newton; 785 ; Totara,7s2 ; Timaru, 750 ; Waitaki, 733 ; Wakatipu, 681 ; Wanganui, 682 ; Eden, 680 ; Dnnstan,637 ; Parnell, 631 ; Christchurch city west, 628 ; Onehnnga, 570 : Heathcote, 545 ; East Coast, 530 ; Mount Ida, 517 ; Mataura, 495 ; Bruce, 453 ; Selwyn, 442 ; Caversham, 403 ; Wairau, 391 ; Coleridge, 356 ; Lyttelton, 352 ; Rodny, 351 ; Ashly, 338; Gladstone, 332; Roslyn, 321; Wairarapa, 320; Akaroa, 308; Invercargill, 305; Egmont, 301; Biverton, 300; Clive, 296; Picton, 288; Wellington county, 277 ; Waikaia, 257 ; Taieri, 249 ; Coromandel, 233 ; Marsden, 209; Port Chalmers, 203; Waikouaiti, 215; New Plymouth, 318 ; Hutt, 198 ; Wallace, 165 ; Mongonui, 195 ; Waitamata, 200 ; Grey and Bell, 78 ; Rangitikei, 160 ; Manawatu, 154 ; .Waimea, 161 ; Motueka, 112 ; Collingwood, 98 ; Cheviot, 169 ; Avon, 337 ; Clutha, 139.