338

THE BRITISH EMPIRE : — WESTERN AUSTRALIA

miles. According to the latest computations, the total estimated area of the State is 975,920 English square miles, or, 624,588,800 acres. It is divided into 38 magisterial districts.

Western Australia was first settled in 1829, and for many years the population was small.

The enumerated population in the various census years was as follows : —

Years

Males

Females

Total

1854

7,778

3,965

11,743

1859

9,522

5,315

14,837

1870

15,375

9,410

24,785

1881

17,062

12,646

29,708

1891

29,807

19,975

49,782

1901

112,875

71,249

184,124

1911

161,565

120,549

282,114

There were in 1911, enumerated 6,369 pure and 1,475 half-caste aborigines (not included in the table). Of the total population in 1911, 104,208 were returned as born in Western Australia. The number of married persons was' 96,482 (50,702 males and 45,780 females); Avidowers, 4,180; widows, 5,785; divorced, 187 males and 103 females ; unmarried, 106,060 males and 68,807 females. The number of males under 21 was 58,838, and of females 56,203. Of the males over 21, 58,737 had never been married, and of the females over 21, 55,198. The estimated population in December, 1912 (excluding full-blooded aboriginals) was: males, 174,098; females, 131,446; Total, 305,544.

The Municipality of Perth, the capital, at the time of the 1911 census, had a population of 35,767 ; that of Fremantle, 14,499. The principal towns, with census population of 1911, are : —

Towns

1911

106,792

8,781

10,824

1909

Towns 1911

1909

Perth, Fremantle and

suburbs . Kalgoorlie . Boulder

73,700

6,954

11,156

Albany. . 1 3,586 Bunbury . | 3,763 Geraldton . 3,478 Northam . 3,361

3,029 3,560 3,300 2,942

The movement of population in 5 years is given as follows : —

Years

Marriages

Births Deaths

Immigrants

Emigrants

1908 1909 1910 1911 1912

2,012

1,998 2,107 2,421 2,536

7,754 2,882 7,601 2,706 7,585 2,744 8,095 2,924 8,611 3,362

24,401

24,808 31,208 41,200 38,088

21,234 23,783 24,553 28,735 31,926

In 1907 there were 300, in 1908, 837, in 1909, 346, in 1910, 313, and in

1911, 363 illegitimate births.