Some Population Figures. 497 



constitute the only fair basis, but I am merely quoting these figures 

 as matters of interest, and to be borne in mind when I venture on the 

 more important question to us of how the Cape Colony compares 

 with the Australian in respect to population. 



Before, however, leaving the matter of Growth of Population in 

 Great Britain and Ireland, the question may arise as to the larger 

 increase in England and Wales, as compared with Scotland propor- 

 tionately. Looking at the Birth Rate, I find that the Birth Rate of 

 the five largest Scottish towns is 28.2 per cent., as compared to 30.5 

 per cent, in the five largest English towns. The Death Rate, on the 

 other hand, in the five largest Scottish towns is 18.5 per cent., Vv'hile 

 in the five largest English towns it is 19.7 per cent. The excess, 

 therefore, in England is 10.8 per cent., and in Scotland 9.7 per cent., 

 an apparently small difference, yet, when the numbers of the respec- 

 tive populations are borne in mind, the annual difference is very 

 material. 



Turning to the five principal Irish towns, we find that the Birth 

 Rate is 29.7 per cent., and the Death Rate 20.7 per cent., so that 

 the excess in Ireland of Births over Deaths, taking the five principal 

 towns as a test, is only 9 per cent, per annum. 



I have quoted the excess of Births over Deaths of Scotland as 

 9.7 per cent, in 1904, as revealed by the five principal towns, and 

 of England as 10.8 per cent., yet the actual increase in the whole 

 of England and Wales for the 10 years ending 1901 was 12.17 per 

 cent., and the average for the century 13.85 per cent., so that it is 

 evident that the figures of the five principal towns taken for 1904 do 

 not altogether give an accurate result as applied to the whole country. 

 In Scotland the increase for the 10 years ending 1901 was 11.09 

 per cent., and the excess in the five towns in 1904 was 9.7 per cent., 

 thus also showing that the increase is really greater than as revealed 

 by the test I have applied. But I am inclined to think that the 

 Scottish figures are also reduced more than che English by emigra- 

 tion, though in 1904 Scotland's excess of Births over Deaths is 

 actually slightly higher than England's. I have been unable to get 

 them separately, as in the works of reference at my command the 

 British Isles and Ireland are kept separately, but not Scotland and 

 England, and it would be interesting to know how much of the 

 difference in increase of population of the two countries is caused by 

 emigration. In Ireland the excess of Births over Deaths per cent, 

 per annum was in 1904, as shown bv my figures of the five largest 

 towns, only 9, yet the total is really only 4.84 for the whole country, 

 showing that the population of Ireland is not only suffering from 

 emigration but from other causes as well, of which the principal is 

 the high Death Rate. 



In turning to Australia, we find that the population was some 6 

 thousand in 1801, and, roughly, 5 millions in 1901. The annual 

 increases per cent, are somewhat remarkable for the decades, showing 

 an increase of 11.30 in 1861, and 3.13 in 1901. For actual figures 

 see Annexure "C." This I put down entirely to decrease in immi- 

 gration, as from 1851-1861 was the period of the gold fever, when 



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