Our First Half-Century: A Review of Queensland Progress Based Upon Official Information

by Queensland

SOME STATISTICS AND THEIR STORY.

The figures contained in this Appendix, save those for 1908, and in relation to certain financial matters for 1908-9, are drawn from the Statistics for 1908 laid before Parliament this year, but all are official.

GROWTH OF POPULATION.

The population of Queensland, estimated at 28,056 on 31st December, 1860, a little more than a year after separation from New South Wales, more than doubled during the succeeding three years. Thence it again more than doubled in the next eight years, the census of April, 1871, providing a basis for the estimate of 125,146 at the end of that year. Thence to 1882, two years before the close of the quarter-century, the figures had again nearly doubled, the population on 31st December, 1884, reaching 309,913.

Of the number of arrivals in excess of departures there is no record for 1860 or 1861, but of the total increase, 51,509, for the four years ended 1865 the recorded arrivals in excess of departures aggregated 46,422, leaving only 5,087 for excess of births over deaths for the period. In 1866, in spite of the crisis resulting from the Agra and Masterman's Bank failure, there was still an excess of 6,632; but by the next following year the number of such excess had fallen to 917, while the net increase of population in that year was only 3,648.

The census of 1886, the second year of the new quarter-century, showed a total population of 342,614, and the next census five years later 410,330. This marked the end of the "boom" period, and the amount spent on immigration, as compared with 1883 and 1884, was cut down in the next year by nearly three-fourths, or from the maximum of £361,632 in 1883-4 to £91,143 in 1889-90. In 1891 there was severe commercial depression, and by that time arrivals had annually decreased, and departures came very near in numbers to the arrivals. During the next ten years the increase in population, as shown by the census, was 95,614, bringing the total up to 505,944.

Here it may be explained that the intercensus estimates between 1891 and 1901 proved fallacious, for the total number in the latter year was 6,660 less than the estimate had been for two years previously, although the arrivals for the intervening period recorded an excess over departures of 6,389. So that adding to that number the 17,350 increase by excess of births over deaths the population in 1901 would have been shown as 536,343 had the estimates between the censuses been continued on similar lines. The error would therefore have been 30,399 had not the census figures in 1901 enabled an adjustment to be made. Similar over-estimating had occurred previously, it is understood, through many oversea departures not being recorded by those who supplied information to the department. Of late years allowances have been made for unrecorded arrivals and departures in preparing the intercensus returns, and it may be hoped that in future the discrepancies will be less disconcerting than in the past.

The population at the end of the first quarter-century having been 309,913, and on 31st December last year (1908) 558,237, the increase for the period was 248,324. But the second quarter-century does not actually close until 31st December next, when the total population should be approximately 570,000 souls. During the half-century, therefore, the number of people in Queensland as compared with the population in 1859 may be taken to have multiplied by twenty-two. In other words, at the time of separation, a year earlier than the official record begins, the total population was scarcely greater than it now is in several of our provincial cities.

PUBLIC FINANCE.

Public revenue, which began in 1860 with a total of £178,589, reached £2,720,656 in 1884-5, the figures of the natal year being multiplied nearly fifteen times at the close of the quarter-century. The second quarter-century showed continued increase until 1888-9, but the figures of that year were not again reached until 1895-6. They progressed until in 1899-1900, the last year before federation, they reached over 4½ millions sterling, an amount not again realised till 1908-9. In 1901 the State figures were considerably disturbed by the proclamation of the Commonwealth on 1st January. In 1901-2 there was a large apparent decline of £1,053,145, the Commonwealth having taken over the whole of the postal and telegraph revenue and about one-fourth of the Customs. There was also a considerable loss by the discontinuance of State border duties, as well as by the Commonwealth tariff, which took effect in the second quarter of 1901-2, many revenue duties being either sacrificed or lowered in favour of protectionist imposts which only yielded revenue until they excluded imports. By 1908-9, despite the loss of post-telegraph and Customs revenue, the total receipts at the State Treasury formed the half-century record of £4,766,244.