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Chapter XIII.

Statistics, Local Government, etc.—Electorates—Counties—Municipalities—Town Districts—Total population.

Taranaki is represented in Parliament by four Members of the House of Representatives, and there is one resident Member of the Legislative Council-One of the Electoral Districts extends outside Taranaki, but the bulk of the Electors reside in the district itself. The following are the Electorates—the number of Electors being those on the Roll in 1895:—Egmont 3092; Taranaki 2959; Hawera 3347; Patea 3948.

There are the following Counties within the district, the Act being in force in them all—the population is according to the Census of 1906;—Clifton 2837; Taranaki 8486; Egmont 2885; Stratford 5912; Hawera 8000; Patea 3120.

Part of the latter county lies in the Wellington Provincial District, but the last Census returns are not yet sufficiently complete to enable the population to be allocated to each district. The Municipalities are as follows (population in 1906)—:New Plymouth 5141 (with the Suburbs of Fitzroy, Vogeltown, Moturoa, etc., probably 7000, but exact figures are not available); Inglewood 11 52; Waitara 958; Stratford 2127; Hawera 2153; Eltham 1329; Patea 869.

In addition to the Municipalities, there are the following Town Districts (population in 1906):—Kaponga 278; Manaia 441; Norman by 383; Opunake 406.

Moreover there are several centres of population growing up which are not yet either Municipalities or Town Districts; such as Urenni, Lepperton, Egmont Village, Bell Block, Omata, Oakura, Okato, Warea, Rahotu, Pihanta, Otakeho, Okaiawa, Midhirst, Waipuku, Tariki, Tarata, Mangatoki, Awatuna; Punehu, Toko, Douglas, Strathmore, Pohokura, Whangamomona, Huiroa, Tututawa, Puniwhakau, all of which are supplied with telephone stations, schools, stores, etc.

The Total White Population of the District, according to the censes taken on the 29th April, 1906, was 43,399; to which has to be added the Native people, who numbered in 1905, 2610 individuals—Maori and half-castes.