Page 358 - clra62_0019-(GIPE)

350 ECONOMIC INQUIRIES AND STU~IES
in the increase of population in the United States.
Possibly the official figures of immigration of late years
are a little exaggerated, as the United States Govern-
ment does not show a balance between immi~ation
and emigration; but whatever corrections may be made
on this account, the recent figures of immigration are
too large to permit the supposition that the failure of
immigrants accounts in the main for the diminished
rate of increase of the popuiation generally. The ten
years' percentage of increase without immigrants, I may
say, varied before 1860 between 24 and 32 per cent.,
and has since fallen to 14 and 15 per cent. Even if the
latter figures should be increased a little to allow for
the over-estimate of immigration, the change would
be enormous.
Passing from the United States, we meet with
similar phenomena in Australasia. Indeed, what has
happened in Australasia of late has been attracting a
good deal of attention. The following short table,
which is extracted from the statistics of Mr. Coghlan,
the able statistician of the Government of New South
Wales, gives an idea of what has occurred:

Population of Australasia at different .DalfS, with the Annual
Increase per Cent. in each Penod.
, Annual Increase
Population. since previous Date.
per Cent.
----- I
Thousands.
1788 . 1.0
1801. 6·5 15. 13
'I I • II·5 II·94
'21. 35. 6 5.88
'3 1 • 79·3 8·34
'41 . ui.1 10.28
'51 . 43 0.6 7.36
'61. 1,253.0 11.30
'7 1 • 1,924.8 4·39
'81. 2,742.5 3.60
'91 . 3, 8 °9.9 3·34
'99· 4,483.0 2.1