Census Figures
p. 72 · Read in the full issue
Tell An Old Familiar Tale
More evidence of the popula tion explosion going on all over the Pacific was revealed by recent censuses in New Caledonia and the Gilbert and Ellice Islands
Colony.
IN New Caledonia, preliminary re sults show that the island now has a population of 82,000 —an increase of 13,520 in the past seven years.
The Melanesian proportion of the population is now 45 per cent., and the European is 35 per cent. The re maining 20 per cent, comprises Wall isians, Tahitians, Vietnamese and In donesians.
Forty-two per cent, of New Cale donia’s population lives in Noumea — 35,500 against 22,250 in 1956. Of this figure, 61 per cent, are Europeans, 24 per cent. Wallisians, Tahitians and Indonesians, and 15 per cent Melan esians.
GEIC Figures
In the Gilbert and Ellice Islands Colony, preliminary figures indicate a 30 per cent, increase since the last census in 1947. This means that the population is now about 46,800 com pared with 36,000 16 years ago.
The preliminary figures also show that Tarawa’s population has increased by 121 per cent, since 1947, and there have been increases of 75 per cent, and 131 per cent, at Abemama and
Aranuka respectively.
To cope with the increase, which is particularly acute in the Gilbert Islands, the Solomons’ Land Depart ment recently completed a survey of 57 plots for the resettlement of Gil bertese families in the Shortlands.
A further 40 lots of smaller areas, comprising well planted coconut land, have been surveyed on Laumono and Bakaulonai Islands. These smaller lots are to be complementary to some of the garden land plots on the main land.
Three village sites have also been surveyed at Komaliae Point, Ko maliae Bay and Malehuna Point.