H.—36.

1873. NEW ZEALAND.

AREA, POPULATION, REVENUE, ETC., OF THE SEVERAL PROVINCES.

Return to an Order of the Souse of Representatives, dated Ith August, 1873, " That there be laid upon the Table a Return showing—(l.) The area of each Province and of the County of Westland. (2.) Population of each to date of last estimate. (3.) Revenue raised for Colonial purposes during financial Year 1871-72. (4.) Proportion of Public Works Loan expended or authorized to be cxpendod in each to end of year 1872."— (Mr Sheehan.)

RETURN showing the AREA of each PROVINCE and of the COUNTY of WESTLAND.

Estimated Population of the several Provinces of New Zealand and of the County of Westland, on the 31st December, 1872. Province of Auckland ... ... 66.805 County of Westland ... ... 15,176 „ Taranaki ... ... 4,756 Province of Otago ... ... 77,661 Wellington ... ... 27,066 Hawke'sßay ... ... 7,294 279,423 Nelson ... ... 23,611 Chatham Islands ... ... ... 137 „ Marlborough ... ... 5,544 „ Canterbury ... ... 51,510 Total estimated population of Colony 279,560 The above estimate has been made on the basis of the Census of 27th February, 1871, by adding the estimated Increase (from Excess of Births over Deaths and of Immigration over Emigration) up to the end of December, 1872 ; except in the case of Westland, where the Emigration exceeded tho Immigration. This is the only approximation that can be made, and is to be regarded as subject to the uncertainty arising from there being no moans of ascertaining the numbers of porsons who migrated from one part of New Zealand to another during tho period. John B. Bennett, 13th August, 1873. Registrar-General.

RETURN showing the REVENUE RAISED for COLONIAL PURPOSES in each PROVINCE and in the COUNTY of WESTLAND, during the FINANCIAL YEAR 1871-72.

Province. Area in Acees. Area in Act Pbovince. Abea in Acres. Auckland Hawke's Bay Taranaki Wellington ... Nelson ... ... , 16,650,000 2,950,000 2,290,000 7,000,000 6,928,000 Marlborough Canterbury ... Westland (County) Otago 3.000,000 8,693,000 3,025,000 16,038,400

Pbovini Pbovince. ICE. Amount. Province. Amount. Auckland Taranaki Wellington ... Hawke's Bay Nelson Marlborough £ s. d. 232,867 3 6 8,125 16 0 97,844 10 2 30,362 5 8 87.418 6 11 10,716 6 10 Canterbury ... Westland Otago £ a. d. 143,352 8 3 77,358 9 7 310,189 5 3 Total 998,234 12 2 Note.—The above is exclusive of Revenue collected at i :0s. 7d., which consists chiefly of interest received on Trust F lie Chatham Islands, £00 15s. 10d., ai und Investments, and cannot be allocs id of a sum of £32,757 ited to any Province. Treasury, 13th August, 1S73. C. T. Batkin, Secretai ry to Treasury.