222

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

[No. 16]

The following remarks apply only to the above four principal boroughs:—
The births were 317, and the deaths 157 in number.
There were 12 deaths of persons of 65 years and upwards: two males of 75 and 66 and three females of 83, 69, and 66 died at Auckland; two males of 71 and 65 and a female of 71 at Wellington; a female of 65 at Christchurch; and three males, one aged 66 and two 65 years, at Dunedin.
In the above tables the mortality for the Borough of Auckland, according to its new boundaries, is given for the first time.
The city has been recently enlarged by including within it the territory of the former Road Districts of Grafton, Karangahape, Ponsonby, and part of Newton. The population of these suburbs, which, added to the population of the old borough, gives the number stated in the return, 26,643 persons. The usual comparison of the total number of deaths from different classes of disease for the four principal boroughs as a whole cannot be made on account of the mortality for Auckland representing that of a larger area than formerly.
The proportion of deaths per 1,000 of the population from all causes for January was decidedly high in two of the chief towns, being 1.99 for Auckland and 2.28 for Christchurch. These high rates were caused by the prevalence of dysentery and diarrhoea, as will be seen by the remarks below. For Wellington and Christchurch the death-rates for January were lower than for December of last year, but there was nevertheless more zymotic disease.
Zymotic Diseases.—No less a proportion of the total deaths in the four principal boroughs than 38.85 per cent. was from zymotic diseases, against only 17.54 per cent. in the month of December. At Auckland there were 19 deaths from dysentery and diarrhoea, and 4 from scarlet fever, besides one from typhoid fever. At Wellington 12 deaths were caused by this class of disease, against 7 in the previous month; at Christchurch 15 against 4; and at Dunedin 8 against 5.
Constitutional Diseases.—The proportion of mortality from these complaints was only 17.20 per cent., against 20.18 in December.
Local Diseases.—The total number of deaths for January was only 45, against 50 in December. There were fewer deaths in January from convulsions, heart disease, bronchitis, pneumonia, and enteritis.
The subjoined table shows the mortality for the last two months at three of these four boroughs from six principal zymotic diseases, from the miasmatic order, and also the deaths from certain inflammatory diseases of the lungs. These causes of death give rise to sudden increases in the death-rates of towns, and the prevalence of which is closely connected with sanitary condition and climatic influence of the season on health. Auckland has been omitted from the table on this occasion, because the January the vital statistics are made up to show the mortality for the city according to the new and extended boundaries.

Registrar-General's Office,
Wellington, 13th February, 1883.

E. J. VON DADELSZEN,
(for the Registrar-General.)

PROVISIONAL METEOROLOGICAL RETURN FOR JANUARY, 1883.

NOTE.—This table is prepared from unchecked averages, transmitted by telegraph in anticipation of the full returns, and must not be entirely relied on for compiling Meteorological Statistics.

J. HECTOR.