BY L. F. GIBLIN. 175 



1913. 



of parentage may be gauged by the number of births per 



1.000 males aged 20 — 55. 



For 1912 these figures are: — 



Australia 117, 



Tasmania 133, 

 a rather striking result in view of the lower economic 

 status of the Tasmanian population. 



Religion and Size of Families. 

 The influence of Religion on the birth-rate may be 

 shown by taking out the average size of family. Taking 

 the religion of the mother as the test, we have — 



Religion of Mother. Average Family. 



Church of England 3.74 



Roman Catholic ... 4.14 



There is then a difference of about 11 per cent, in favour 

 of the Roman Catholic in the birth-rate, or about 20 per 

 cent, in the rate of natural increase, assuming that the 

 ma.rriage-rates and death-rates are practically the same for 

 both denominations. 



Birth-rate and District^. 



We find the high birth-rate — 33 to 36 — in certain dis- 

 tricts mainly occupied with dairying, potatoes, fruit, min- 

 ing, and timber. In the pastoral districts and old-settled 

 farming districts, which are more concerned with grain, 

 hay, and stock, the bii-th-rate is low — about 25. The 

 figures for the to\vns, Hobart and Launceston, are high, 

 but are swollen by births that properly belong to the sur- 

 rounding districts ; their real figui'es are probablv about 

 the average for the whole island — 30 to 31. 



There are three anomalous districts. Sheffield has a 

 birth-rate of 26 or less, while six similar Xorth-Western 

 districts have an average of 36. Beaconsfield has a birth- 

 rate of 27. when the other mining districts average 34. 

 Port Cygnet has a birth-rate of 19 or less, while the other 

 fruitgrowing districts average 33. These figures are only 

 approximate, on account of changes which have taken 

 place in the boundaries of registration districts. The 

 explanation may possibly be found when the age distribu- 

 tion ill these districts is available. 



Birth-rate and Occupation. 

 A tabulation of births according to occupations of 

 fathers gives extraordinary results. In the following table 



