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H.—Bl.

The movement over ten years is oalculated as under :—

Birth-rates per 1,000 of Population.

This table shows that although New Zealand had in 1900 the lowest birth-rate in Australasia, the rate in this colony for 1905 was higher than that of Victoria and some others. A declining birth-rate is noticeable in many civilised countries, and attention has been drawn by statisticians and political economists to the serious consequences that may result. That fertility among women in New Zealand is decreasing, from whatever causes, further facts will tend to show. Taking the number of manied women ir New Zealand at what may be considered the child-bearing ages (i.e., from 15 to 45 years, inclusive) as shown by each census since 1878, and for the same years the number of legitimate births (excluding plural) registered, the birth-rate per 1,000 mairied women of the above-stated ages is easily found, and is shown to be steadily declining. In 1878 the rate was 337 per 1,000, in 1896 it had fallen to 252, and in 1901 to 244 ; or, in other words, in 1878 one married woman of the ages specified in every three gave birth to a child, while in 1901 the rate was one in four only. The figures for each census year are given below. Birth-rates (Legitimate) per 1,000 Married Women at Child-bearing Ayes for each Census Year, 1878 to 1901. Number of Numher Birth-rate Married Women . L ee ?ti ma te per 1 - 000 Year (Census). between fifths Married Women 15 and 45 Years ,„ J"' tns , , of from 15 to 45 of Age. (Confinements). Years nf Age _ 1878 . . ... ... 50,995 17,196 337-2 1881 ... ... ... 57,458 18,003 313-3 1886 62,704 18,532 295-5 1891 63,165 17,455 • 276-3 1896 ... ... ... 69,807 17,596 252-1 1901 ... ... ... 79,406 19,355 243-8 And another table is given, showing for a period of twenty years the numbers of married women at the quinquennial periods of age belonging to the full term 15 to 45 years, with the proportions that those numbers bear to every 100 married women living at 15-45. These proportions are found to have diminished appreciably at the earlier ages, 15-20 and 20-25 ; but the numbers of the living are much smaller at those ages than at the higher ones, 25-30 and onwards to 40-45, and the effect of this lesser number of wives at the lower ages in reducing the birth-rate would not be so much as might at first be thought probable. It is, however, undoubtedly a fact that to have a growing proportion of wives at the earlier productive ages is the best position, but it is not the one which obtains at present in New Zealand.

Married Women under 45 Years of Age, given according to Age-groups, as at the Censuses of 1881, 1891, and 1901; with the Proportion in each Group for every 100 of the Whole.

A further table shows the declining birth-rate, and the increase in the marriage-rate, in the United Kingdom.

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State or Colony. I : I j i 1896. 1897. i 1898. 1899. I 1900. ! 1901. 1902. 1903. 1904. 1905. I i I - Queensland New South Wales Victoria South Australia Western Australia Tasmania New Zealand ... 30-06 28-35 27-33 28-46 22-65 28-16 26-33 29-92 28-42 26-59 26-97 25-82 27-73 25-96 28-28 ; 27-31 27-14 , 27-10 25-72 : 26-71 24-98 25-51 29-35 3064 26-24 25-98 25-74 25-12 30-21 27-43 25-82 25-7b 31-46 28-25 25-60 28-28 27-60 25-77 25-39 30-32 28-40 26-34 27-68 24-71 27-12 27-17 25-28 I 26-73 25-23 ' 24-46 24-65 24-85 23-43 i 2470 30-09 30-27 I 30 34 28-95 28-61 | 29-59 2589 J 26 61 j 26-94 2673 24-83 23-82 30-30 29-32 27-22

Married Women under 45, excluding Chinese. Age-groups. Numbers at Censi IS. Proportion per Cent. 1881. f 1891. 1901. 1881. 1891. 1901. .5-20 10-25 15-30 iO-35 15-10 tO-45 1,233 8,996 13,133 12,656 11,811 9,629 750 8,862 14,540 14,576 12,959 11,478 777 10,053 17,923 19,617 16,854 14,182 2-14 15-66 22-86 22-03 20'55 16-76 1-19 14-03 23 02 23-08 20-51 18-17 0-98 12-66 22-57 24-70 21-23 17-86 Totals 57,458 63,165 79,406 •10000 100-00 100-00

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