732 THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE. [No. 35]

The following remarks apply only to the four principal boroughs:—
The births in May were 211, against 232 in April, a decrease of 21.
The deaths amounted to 123, against 110 in April.
There were 20 deaths of persons of 65 years and upwards: 4 males of 66 (2), 72, and 74, and 3 females of 67, 68, and 87, died at Auckland; 4 males of 70 (2), 74, and 75, and 3 females of 70 (2) and 82, at Wellington; 5 males of 68, 70, 75, 77, and 81 at Christchurch; and a female of 74 at Dunedin.
Specific Febrile or Zymotic Diseases.—The number of deaths from these diseases decreased from 27 in April to 17 in May. Influenza, which caused 4 deaths in April, disappeared as a cause of death in May, but typhus fever caused 1 death in Auckland in the past month. There were 11 deaths from typhoid fever in April, of which 7 occurred in Wellington. In May typhoid fever caused 4 deaths in Auckland, 3 in Dunedin, and only 1 in Wellington. Diphtheria caused 2 deaths in May—1 in Auckland and 1 in Wellington—against 1 in Wellington in the previous month. The deaths from diarrhœal diseases were only 5 in number, against 10 in April; of those in April 7 occurred in Wellington, but of those in May only 1 occurred there.
Constitutional Diseases.—These diseases caused 28 deaths in May, against 20 in April. The deaths from phthisis increased in number from 11 to 14, and those from cancer from 6 to 7. Rheumatic fever caused 1 death in Wellington, and rheumatism 1 in Auckland.
Local Diseases.—There was a large increase in the mortality from these diseases, the deaths having been 46 in April and 61 in May. There was a decrease of 5 in the number of deaths from diseases of the nervous system, but an increase of 7 in the number from diseases of the circulatory system, and of 9 from diseases of the respiratory system. Of the deaths from these last diseases 11 occurred from bronchitis (viz., 5 in Auckland, 2 in Wellington, 3 in Christchurch, and 1 in Dunedin), against 5 in April. The deaths from pneumonia were 4 in number (of which 3 were in Dunedin), against 6 in April.
Violent Deaths.—Of the 3 deaths in this class 1 occurred from rupture of the kidneys, caused by a football accident.
The subjoined table shows the mortality for the last two months at each of these four boroughs from six principal specific febrile or zymotic diseases, and also the deaths from certain inflammatory diseases of the lungs. These causes of death have been distinguished from the others of the classes to which they belong as being the most important special diseases which 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.

TOWNS.

Six Principal Specific Febrile or Zymotic Diseases.

• Measles
• Scarlet Fever
• Typhoid and Other Fevers
• Diphtheria
• Whooping-cough
• Diarrhœal Diseases

Principal Lung Diseases.

• Bronchitis
• Pleurisy
• Pneumonia
• Congestion of Lungs

Auckland
Wellington
Christchurch
Dunedin
Totals

Registrar-General's Office,
Wellington, 10th June, 1890.

Wm. R. E. BROWN,
Registrar-General.

Provisional Meteorological Return for May, 1890.

• Mean Temperature in shade for month
• Average same month previous years
• Maximum Temperature in shade, and date
• Minimum Temperature in shade, and date
• Maximum Temperature in sun, and date
• Minimum Temperature on grass, and date
• Mean Humidity (Saturation=100)
• Average same month previous years
• Total Rainfall in inches
• Average same month previous years
• Number of Days of Rain
• Average same month previous years

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.

Meteorological Office, Wellington, June, 1890.

JAMES HECTOR,
Director.