Proportion of Hands to Population at Successive Periods.

In this table the population of Victoria is estimated for the middle of the year. The propostion of hands per cent, of population is actually under 4 5, if we take the mean population, but closer to it than to 4.4.

The next table shows the proportion of the various industrial classes to the effective workers (population less domestic class). The comparison is made for the year 1881. The industrial class includes workers in manufactories and all artisans, but not common labourers. The numbers of this class had increased slightly more than in proportion to population in New Zealand at the census of 1886.