The figures contained in this Appendix, save those for 1908, and in relation to certain financial matters for 1908-9, are drawn from the Statistics for 1908 laid before Parliament this year, but all are official. GROWTH OF POPULATION. The population of Queensland, estimated at 28,056 on 31st December, 1860, a little more than a year after separation from New South Wales, more than doubled during the succeeding three years. Thence it again more than doubled in the next eight years, the census of April, 1871, providing a basis for the estimate of 125,146 at the end of that year. Thence to 1882, two years before the close of the quarter-century, the figures had again nearly doubled, the population on 31st December, 1884, reaching 309,913. Of the number of arrivals in excess of departures there is no record for 1860 or 1861, but of the total increase, 51,509, for the four years ended 1865 the recorded arrivals in excess of departures aggregated 46,422, leaving only 5,087 for excess of births over deaths for the period. In 1866, in spite of the crisis resulting from the Agra and Masterman's Bank failure, there was still an excess of 6,632; but by the next following year the number of such excess had fallen to 917, while the net increase of population in that year was only 3,648. The census of 1886, the second year of the new quarter-century, showed a total population of 342,614, and the next census five years later 410,330. This marked the end of the "boom" period, and the amount spent on immigration, as compared with 1883 and 1884, was cut down in the next year by nearly three-fourths, or from the maximum of L361,632 in 1883-4 to L91,143 in 1889-90. In 1891 there was severe commercial depression, and by that time arrivals had annually decreased, and departures came very near in numbers to the arrivals. During the next ten years the increase in population, as shown by the census, was 95,614, bringing the total up to 505,944. Here it may be explained that the intercensus estimates between 1891 and 1901 proved fallacious, for the total number in the latter year was 6,660 less than the estimate had been for two years previously, although the arrivals for the intervening period recorded an excess over departures of 6,389. So that adding to that number the 17,350 increase by excess of births over deaths the population in 1901 would have been shown as 536,343 had the estimates between the censuses been continued on similar lines. The error would therefore have been 30,399 had not the census figures in 1901 enabled an adjustment to be made. Similar over-estimating had occurred previously, it is understood, through many oversea departures not being recorded by those who supplied information to the department. Of late years allowances have been made for unrecorded arrivals and departures in preparing the intercensus returns, and it may be hoped that in future the discrepancies will be less disconcerting than in the past.