OCR Text |
Show Ireland's Population. The December returns show another small increase in the population of Ireland. Ire-land. This is the first occasion that two successive quarters show the number num-ber of emigrants exceeded by the natural na-tural increase of the population. The births registered during the quarter numbered 24.529. the deaths I8.1S2, and the imgrants 5.2C3. There is thus an estimated increase of 1,084. and this notwithstanding an increased death-rate. death-rate. The significance of the returns is emphasized by the steadily decreasing decreas-ing rate of decline in the population from year to year. Thus, the estimated estimat-ed decrease in the population in June, 1H00. was nearly 34,000. as compared with the previous year; the decrease in June. 1901. was estimated at nearly 23.000; the following June showed a drop in the rate of 13.000: in June. 1903, the estimated decrease had risen again to IS. 600; in 1904 it was 11,500: 3905, 10,-606 10,-606 .and ln?t June only 3.700. Since that date the population has increased by a couple of thousand, so that since June, 1905, notwithstanding a heavy emigration emigra-tion roll, the population hap been practically prac-tically station?ry. Last year was the beet since 1S77. the only year that showed an increase of nonulation since 1S45. |