58 TlMEHRl. 
years, but it is comforting to think that however slight it 
is in the right direction. 
From the above figures it is at once seen that the males 
are in excess in the whole population and in all its race 
sub-divisions, with the exception of the mixed races where 
the women are largely in excess, and in the Portuguese 
where they are only in slight excess. Now it is almost 
as self-evident a proposition as it is an uncontrovertible 
fa£t that natural increase of the population depends on 
the excess of births over deaths ; and that the number of 
births is regulated by the number of marriageable women 
in a population. Hence authoritative writers all lay it 
down that where there is a permanent demand for labour 
in colonies, men and women should be induced to immi- 
grate in equal numbers. Colonies can only be planted 
by families ; and the small number of women brought 
from India is the great blemish in our Immigration system 
I am speaking of course only as regards the prospect of 
the colony as to its future population. It seems utter 
waste to continue year after year to import males to 
work here for a few years and then either to return them 
to their country or to the bourne from which there is no 
return passage. The position resolves itself into this, that 
under our present conditions a number of years must 
elapse before our population can become self sustaining ; 
while if the sexes were more equal it would be so almost 
at once. Wise statesmen have long known that the 
unit of a country is a family and not an individual. In 
the Fourth Annual Report by Farr of the English Regis- 
ter's Office it was stated "that the population of the 
" West Indies can only be permanently augmented by 
" the immigration of females and males in equal num- 
